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Brouwer C, Boekhout T, Alwasel S, Rahman M, Janga R, Welling MM. Screening sensibility and antifungal activity after topical application of a synthetic lactoferrin-derived antimicrobial peptide. Am J Transl Res 2024; 16:669-680. [PMID: 38463589 PMCID: PMC10918136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Onychomycosis is the most common disease of the nails and constitutes about half of all nail abnormalities. Onychomycosis is usually caused by dermatophytes and incomparably less frequently by yeast-like fungi and non-dermatophyte molds. Current treatment options for onychomycosis are ineffective. METHODS This study evaluated the performance of a commercial and CE-registered product containing antimicrobial peptide hLF1-11 in vitro for treating toenail onychomycosis. In a case-control setting, nail samples from 59 volunteers were obtained before and after treatment by a pedicurist and investigated for the presence of fungi by culturing, barcode sequencing, and MALDI-TOF-MS. RESULTS Of 89 samples, T. rubrum (19%) and C. parapsilosis (17%) were cultured. In total, 47 samples (53%) were positive for culture. MALDI-TOF-MS could identify 28, but 19 remained unidentified; those species were not included in the commercial MALDI-TOF reference database library. A positive effect of treatment by the hLF1-11 product on 41 volunteers (1 placebo, 18 low doses, 22 high doses) was observed. No adverse effects of the peptide were observed or reported by the pedicurist or any of the participants. CONCLUSIONS This study showed a positive therapeutic effect of a commercial product containing hLF1-11 in the case of 88.9% of the patients with onychomycosis. The present formulation of hLF1-11 into PBS is stable enough to permit storage at room temperature for at least two years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Teun Boekhout
- College of Sciences, King Saud UniversityRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Alwasel
- College of Sciences, King Saud UniversityRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Ruth Janga
- Dushi Pia Medical PedicureIJsselstein, The Netherlands
| | - Mick M Welling
- Interventional Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden, The Netherlands
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Cao Y, Liu M, Han M, Ji S. Multi-arm ε-polylysines exhibit broad-spectrum antifungal activities against Candida species. Biomater Sci 2023; 11:7588-7597. [PMID: 37823351 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm01233f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections pose a crucial threat to public health and are an under-recognized component of antimicrobial resistance, which is an emerging crisis worldwide. Here we designed and synthesized a panel of multi-arm ε-polylysines (ε-mPLs, nR-Km) with a precise number of n = 3-6 arms of ε-oligo(L-lysine)s and a precise arm length of m = 3-7 ε-lysine residues. ε-mPLs have good biocompatibility and exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activities towards Aspergillus, Mucorales and Candida species, and their antifungal activities increased with residue arm length. Among these ε-mPLs, 3R-K7 showed high antifungal activity against C. albicans with a MIC value of as low as 24 μg mL-1 (only 1/16th that of ε-PL) and also exhibited similar antifungal activity towards the clinically isolated multi-drug resistant (MDR) C. albicans strain. Furthermore, 3R-K7 could inhibit the formation of C. albicans biofilms and kill the cells within mature C. albicans biofilms. Mechanistic studies proved that 3R-K7 killed fungal cells by entering the cells to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce cell apoptosis. An in vivo study showed that 3R-K7 significantly increased the survival rate of mice in a systemic murine candidiasis model, demonstrating that ε-mPL has great potential as a new antifungal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanqiao Cao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, P. R. China.
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Ming Liu
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, P. R. China.
| | - Miaomiao Han
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, P. R. China.
| | - Shengxiang Ji
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, P. R. China.
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
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Hu YM, Wang YR, Zhao WB, Ding YY, Wu ZR, Wang GH, Deng P, Zhang SY, An JX, Zhang ZJ, Luo XF, Liu YQ. Efficacy of pterostilbene suppression on Aspergillus flavus growth, aflatoxin B 1 biosynthesis and potential mechanisms. Int J Food Microbiol 2023; 404:110318. [PMID: 37454507 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110318] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus, a widespread saprotrophic filamentous fungus, could colonize agricultural crops with aflatoxin contamination, which endangers food security and the agricultural economy. A safe, effective and environmentally friendly fungicide is urgently needed. Pterostilbene, a natural phytoalexin originated from Pterocarpus indicus Willd., Vaccinium spp. and Vitis vinifera L., has been reported to possess excellent antimicrobial activity. More importantly, it is quite safe and healthy. In our screening tests of plant polyphenols for the inhibition of A. flavus, we found that pterostilbene evidently inhibited mycelial growth of Aspergillus flavus (EC50 = 15.94 μg/mL) and the inhibitory effect was better than that of natamycin (EC50 = 22.01 μg/mL), which is a natural product widely used in food preservation. Therefore, we provided insights into the efficacy of pterostilbene suppression on A. flavus growth, aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis and its potential mechanisms against A. flavus in the present study. Here, pterostilbene at concentrations of 250 and 500 μg/mL could effectively inhibit the infection of A. flavus on peanuts. And the biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite aflatoxin B1 was also inhibited. The antifungal effects of pterostilbene are exerted by inducing a large amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species production to bring the cells into a state of oxidative stress, damaging cellular biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids and destroying the integrity of the cell membrane. Taken together, our study strongly supported the fact that pterostilbene could be considered a safe and effective antifungal agent against A. flavus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Mei Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Yi-Rong Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wen-Bin Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yan Yan Ding
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zheng-Rong Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Guang-Han Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Peng Deng
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shao-Yong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vector Biology and Pathogen Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Science, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Jun-Xia An
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiong-Fei Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ying-Qian Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Vector Biology and Pathogen Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Science, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China; State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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4
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Mehta D, Saini V, Bajaj A. Recent developments in membrane targeting antifungal agents to mitigate antifungal resistance. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1603-1628. [PMID: 37731690 PMCID: PMC10507810 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00151b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal infections cause severe and life-threatening complications especially in immunocompromised individuals. Antifungals targeting cellular machinery and cell membranes including azoles are used in clinical practice to manage topical to systemic fungal infections. However, continuous exposure to clinically used antifungal agents in managing the fungal infections results in the development of multi-drug resistance via adapting different kinds of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. The unique chemical composition of fungal membranes presents attractive targets for antifungal drug discovery as it is difficult for fungal cells to modify the membrane targets for emergence of drug resistance. Here, we discussed available antifungal drugs with their detailed mechanism of action and described different antifungal resistance mechanisms. We further emphasized structure-activity relationship studies of membrane-targeting antifungal agents, and classified membrane-targeting antifungal agents on the basis of their core scaffold with detailed pharmacological properties. This review aims to pique the interest of potential researchers who could explore this interesting and intricate fungal realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devashish Mehta
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Chemical Biology, Regional Centre for Biotechnology Faridabad-121001 Haryana India
| | - Varsha Saini
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Chemical Biology, Regional Centre for Biotechnology Faridabad-121001 Haryana India
| | - Avinash Bajaj
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Chemical Biology, Regional Centre for Biotechnology Faridabad-121001 Haryana India
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Sang P, Cai J. Unnatural helical peptidic foldamers as protein segment mimics. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:4843-4877. [PMID: 37401344 PMCID: PMC10389297 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00395c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Unnatural helical peptidic foldamers have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique folding behaviours, diverse artificial protein binding mechanisms, and promising applications in chemical, biological, medical, and material fields. Unlike the conventional α-helix consisting of molecular entities of native α-amino acids, unnatural helical peptidic foldamers are generally comprised of well-defined backbone conformers with unique and unnatural structural parameters. Their folded structures usually arise from unnatural amino acids such as N-substituted glycine, N-substituted-β-alanine, β-amino acid, urea, thiourea, α-aminoxy acid, α-aminoisobutyric acid, aza-amino acid, aromatic amide, γ-amino acid, as well as sulfono-γ-AA amino acid. They can exhibit intriguing and predictable three-dimensional helical structures, generally featuring superior resistance to proteolytic degradation, enhanced bioavailability, and improved chemodiversity, and are promising in mimicking helical segments of various proteins. Although it is impossible to include every piece of research work, we attempt to highlight the research progress in the past 10 years in exploring unnatural peptidic foldamers as protein helical segment mimics, by giving some representative examples and discussing the current challenges and future perspectives. We expect that this review will help elucidate the principles of structural design and applications of existing unnatural helical peptidic foldamers in protein segment mimicry, thereby attracting more researchers to explore and generate novel unnatural peptidic foldamers with unique structural and functional properties, leading to more unprecedented and practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sang
- Tianjian Laboratory of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
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Zhang X, Wang M, Zhu X, Peng Y, Fu T, Hu CH, Cai J, Liao G. Development of Lipo-γ-AA Peptides as Potent Antifungal Agents. J Med Chem 2022; 65:8029-8039. [PMID: 35637173 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of drug-resistant fungal pathogens poses great threats to an increasing number of vulnerable populations worldwide, and the need for novel antifungal agents is imperative. In this work, a series of lipo-γ-AA peptides were synthesized and evaluated for their biological activities. One lead, MW5, exhibited potent and broad-spectrum antifungal activity. In addition, MW5 potently boosted the efficacy of fluconazole against clinical azole-resistant Candida isolates. Mechanistic investigation showed that the lead compound disrupted the cell membrane, significantly boosted the production of reactive oxygen species, and undermined the function of the efflux pump, thus resensitizing drug-resistant Candida albicans to fluconazole. Notably, coadministration of MW5 and fluconazole exhibited potent in vivo antifungal activity in a murine model of mucocutaneous candidiasis. Our results demonstrated that lipo-γ-AA peptides have great promise for use alone or in combination to combat drug-resistant Candida infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Xiaodi Zhu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Yan Peng
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Tiwei Fu
- Chongqing Medical University Stomatology College, Chongqing Key Laboratory for Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing 401147, PR China
| | - Chang-Hua Hu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Guojian Liao
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
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7
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Liu L, Jiang T, Zhou J, Mei Y, Li J, Tan J, Wei L, Li J, Peng Y, Chen C, Liu N, Wang H. Repurposing the FDA-approved anticancer agent ponatinib as a fluconazole potentiator by suppression of multidrug efflux and Pma1 expression in a broad spectrum of yeast species. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:482-498. [PMID: 33955652 PMCID: PMC8867973 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal infections have emerged as a major global threat to human health because of the increasing incidence and mortality rates every year. The emergence of drug resistance and limited arsenal of antifungal agents further aggravates the current situation resulting in a growing challenge in medical mycology. Here, we identified that ponatinib, an FDA-approved antitumour drug, significantly enhanced the activity of the azole fluconazole, the most widely used antifungal drug. Further detailed investigation of ponatinib revealed that its combination with fluconazole displayed broad-spectrum synergistic interactions against a variety of human fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cryptococcus neoformans. Mechanistic insights into the mode of action unravelled that ponatinib reduced the efflux of fluconazole via Pdr5 and suppressed the expression of the proton pump, Pma1. Taken together, our study identifies ponatinib as a novel antifungal that enhances drug activity of fluconazole against diverse fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Tong Jiang
- Center for MicrobesDevelopment and HealthKey Laboratory of Molecular Virology and ImmunologyInstitut Pasteur of ShanghaiChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jia Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Yikun Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Jinyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Jingcong Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Luqi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Jingquan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Yibing Peng
- Department of Laboratory MedicineRuijin HospitalShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineNo. 197 Ruijin ER RoadShanghai200025China
- Faculty of Medical Laboratory ScienceShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineNo. 197 Ruijin ER RoadShanghai200025China
| | - Changbin Chen
- Center for MicrobesDevelopment and HealthKey Laboratory of Molecular Virology and ImmunologyInstitut Pasteur of ShanghaiChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
- The Nanjing Unicorn Academy of InnovationInstitut Pasteur of ShanghaiChinese Academy of SciencesNanjing211135China
| | - Ning‐Ning Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related GenesCenter for Single‐Cell OmicsSchool of Public HealthShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
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Therapeutic Effect of an Antibody-Derived Peptide in a Galleria mellonella Model of Systemic Candidiasis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222010904. [PMID: 34681564 PMCID: PMC8536055 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222010904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthetic peptide T11F (TCRVDHRGLTF), with sequence identical to a fragment of the constant region of human IgM, and most of its alanine-substituted derivatives proved to possess a significant candidacidal activity in vitro. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of T11F, D5A, the derivative most active in vitro, and F11A, characterized by a different conformation, was investigated in Galleria mellonella larvae infected with Candida albicans. A single injection of F11A and D5A derivatives, in contrast with T11F, led to a significant increase in survival of larvae injected with a lethal inoculum of C. albicans cells, in comparison with infected animals treated with saline. Peptide modulation of host immunity upon C. albicans infection was determined by hemocyte analysis and larval histology, highlighting a different immune stimulation by the studied peptides. F11A, particularly, was the most active in eliciting nodule formation, melanization and fat body activation, leading to a better control of yeast infection. Overall, the obtained data suggest a double role for F11A, able to simultaneously target the fungus and the host immune system, resulting in a more efficient pathogen clearance.
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Dishman AF, He J, Volkman BF, Huppler AR. Metamorphic Protein Folding Encodes Multiple Anti- Candida Mechanisms in XCL1. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10060762. [PMID: 34204234 PMCID: PMC8235156 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida species cause serious infections requiring prolonged and sometimes toxic therapy. Antimicrobial proteins, such as chemokines, hold great interest as potential additions to the small number of available antifungal drugs. Metamorphic proteins reversibly switch between multiple different folded structures. XCL1 is a metamorphic, antimicrobial chemokine that interconverts between the conserved chemokine fold (an α–β monomer) and an alternate fold (an all-β dimer). Previous work has shown that human XCL1 kills C. albicans but has not assessed whether one or both XCL1 folds perform this activity. Here, we use structurally locked engineered XCL1 variants and Candida killing assays, adenylate kinase release assays, and propidium iodide uptake assays to demonstrate that both XCL1 folds kill Candida, but they do so via different mechanisms. Our results suggest that the alternate fold kills via membrane disruption, consistent with previous work, and the chemokine fold does not. XCL1 fold-switching thus provides a mechanism to regulate the XCL1 mode of antifungal killing, which could protect surrounding tissue from damage associated with fungal membrane disruption and could allow XCL1 to overcome candidal resistance by switching folds. This work provides inspiration for the future design of switchable, multifunctional antifungal therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Acacia F. Dishman
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Jie He
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Brian F. Volkman
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Correspondence: (B.F.V.); (A.R.H.)
| | - Anna R. Huppler
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Correspondence: (B.F.V.); (A.R.H.)
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In Silico Predicted Antifungal Peptides: In Vitro and In Vivo Anti- Candida Activity. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7060439. [PMID: 34072802 PMCID: PMC8227935 DOI: 10.3390/jof7060439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been previously demonstrated that synthetic antibody-derived peptides could exert a significant activity in vitro, ex vivo, and/or in vivo against microorganisms and viruses, as well as immunomodulatory effects through the activation of immune cells. Based on the sequence of previously described antibody-derived peptides with recognized antifungal activity, an in silico analysis was conducted to identify novel antifungal candidates. The present study analyzed the candidacidal and structural properties of in silico designed peptides (ISDPs) derived by amino acid substitutions of the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS. ISDPs proved to be more active in vitro than the parent peptide and all proved to be therapeutic in Galleria mellonella candidal infection, without showing toxic effects on mammalian cells. ISDPs were studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy, demonstrating different structural organization. These results allowed to validate a consensus sequence for the parent peptide KKVTMTCSAS that may be useful in the development of novel antimicrobial molecules.
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