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Search results for: antifungal targets
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Enzymes of the L-methionine biosynthesis pathway in Candida albicans as potential novel targets for antifungal chemotherapy
PublicationFungal pathways of essential amino acids biosynthesis provide an abundant source of molecular targets for new antifungal compounds, among which the L-methionine biosynthesis pathway (MBP) may be promising. In this dissertation I characterized three C. albicans enzymes involved in MBP: homoserine O-acetyltransferase (CaMet2p), O-acetyl-L-homoserine sulfhydrylase (CaMet15p), and cystathionine-γ-synthase (CaStr2p). I performed crystallization...
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- An unique fungal lysine biosynthesis enzymes: new targets for antifungal agents?
ProjectsProject realized in Faculty of Chemistry according to POMOST/2010-2/4 agreement from 2011-05-17
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‘Acridines’ as New Horizons in Antifungal Treatment
PublicationFrequent fungal infections in immunocompromised patients and mortality due to invasive mycosis are important clinical problems. Opportunistic pathogenic Candida species remain one of the leading causes of systemic mycosis worldwide. The repertoire of antifungal chemotherapeutic agents is very limited. Although new antifungal drugs such as lanosterol 14α-demethylase and β-glucan synthase inhibitors have been introduced into clinical...
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Enzymes of the lysine biosynthetic pathway as targets for antifungals ?
PublicationSystemic infections caused by human pathogenic fungi in immunocompromized patients continue to be one of the important clinical problems. Limited availability of safe and efficacious antifungal chemotherapeutics and emerging resistance to existing drugs stimulates search for novel molecular targets for antifungals. The α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) of L-lysine biosynthesis is unique in fungi and thus has been so far considered...
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Inhibitors of amino acids biosynthesis as antifungal agents
PublicationFungal microorganisms, including the human pathogenic yeast and filamentous fungi, are able to synthesize all proteinogenic amino acids, including nine that are essential for humans. A number of enzymes catalyzing particular steps of human-essential amino acid biosynthesis are fungi specific. Numerous studies have shown that auxotrophic mutants of human pathogenic fungi impaired in biosynthesis of particular amino acids exhibit...
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Molecular targets for antifungals in amino acid and protein biosynthetic pathways
PublicationFungi cause death of over 1.5 million people every year, while cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in the world. Mycoses vary greatly in severity, there are long-term skin (ringworm), nail or hair infections (tinea capitis), recurrent like vaginal candidiasis or severe, life-threatening systemic, multiorgan infections. In the last few years, increasing importance is attached to the health and economic problems...
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Targeting Candida albicans O-acetyl-L-homoserine sulfhydrylase (Met15p) in antifungal treatment
PublicationFungal infections are a serious threat to public health as they are becoming increasingly frequent. A major problem stems also from a rising fungal resistance to currently available antifungal therapies, therefore novel molecular targets are highly desirable. Exploration of enzymes participating in the biosynthesis pathways of essential amino acids such as L-methionine (L-Met) may provide new insights into pharmaceutical development....
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Antifungal Effect of Penicillamine Due to the Selective Targeting of L-Homoserine O-Acetyltransferase
PublicationDue to the apparent similarity of fungal and mammalian metabolic pathways, the number of established antifungal targets is low, and the identification of novel ones is highly desirable. The results of our studies, presented in this work, indicate that the fungal biosynthetic pathway of L-methionine, an amino acid essential for humans, seems to be an attractive perspective. The MET2 gene from Candida albicans encoding L-homoserine...
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Sławomir Milewski prof. dr hab. inż.
PeopleSławomir Milewski, born in 1955 in Puck, Poland, graduated in 1979 in Chemistry from the Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT). In 1984 was employed at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry. In 1985 he got his PhD, in 1994 became a DSc (habilitation) and in 2002 got the professorship in chemical sciences. Currently he is a full professor and Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology...
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Comparative molecular modelling of biologically active sterols
PublicationMembrane sterols are targets for a clinically important antifungal agent – amphotericin B. The relatively specific antifungal action of the drug is based on a stronger interaction of amphotericin B with fungal ergosterol than with mammalian cholesterol. Conformational space occupied by six sterols has been defined using the molecular dynamics method to establish if the conformational features correspond to the preferential interaction...
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Photosensitive and pH-dependent activity of pyrazine-functionalized carbazole derivative as promising antifungal and imaging agent
PublicationCarbazole skeleton plays a significant role as a structural scaffold of many pharmacologically active compounds. Pyrazine-functionalized carbazole derivative was constructed by coupling 2-amino-5-bromo-3-methylaminepyrazine (ABMAP) into 3 and 6 positions of the carbazole ring. Multi-experimental methods were used, e.g., potentiometric, spectroscopic (ATR, UV, XRD powder,1H and13C NMR), electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry), and...
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Fungal L-Methionine Biosynthesis Pathway Enzymes and Their Applications in Various Scientific and Commercial Fields
PublicationL-methionine (L-Met) is one of the nine proteinogenic amino acids essential for humans since, in human cells, there are no complete pathways for its biosynthesis from simple precursors. L-Met plays a crucial role in cellular function as it is required for proper protein synthesis, acting as an initiator. Additionally, this amino acid participates in various metabolic processes and serves as a precursor for the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine...
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Does the chemical modification of Nystatin A1 affect the drug's ability to overcome the multidrug resistance of fungi?
PublicationAlthough the contemporary medicine keeps moving forward, disseminated infections caused by fungal pathogens are an emerging challenge. The dramatic rise of fungal diseases, especially the most life-threatening systemic mycoses is associated with a permanently growing number of immunodeficient patients. Undoubted difficulties in the treatment of fungal infections are caused by lack of highly effective and selective antifungal drugs,...
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Identification and cloning of C. albicans SC5314 genes encoding L-methionine biosynthetic pathway enzymes.
Open Research DataEnzymes of fungal L-methionine biosynthetic pathway: homoserine O-acetyltransferase (Met2p), O-acetylhomoserine sulfhydrylase (Met15p) and cystathionine-γ-synthase (Str2p) could be exploited as molecular targets for antifungal chemotherapy. The goal of the study was to identify and clone genes encoding mentioned above enzymes. MET2, MET15 and STR2 genes...
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Targeting DNA Topoisomerase II in Antifungal Chemotherapy.
PublicationTopoisomerase inhibitors have been in use clinically for the treatment of several diseases for decades. Although those enzymes are significant molecular targets in antibacterial and anticancer chemotherapy very little is known about the possibilities to target fungal topoisomerase II (topo II). Raising concern for the fungal infections, lack of effective drugs and a phenomenon of multidrug resistance underlie a strong need to expand...
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New Peptide Based Fluconazole Conjugates with Expanded Molecular Targets
PublicationInfections of Candida spp. etiology are frequently treated with azole drugs. Among azoles, the most widely used in the clinical scenario remains fluconazole (FLC). Promising results in treatment of dangerous, systemic Candida infections demonstrate the advantages of combined therapies carried out with combinations of at least two different antifungal agents. Here, we report five conjugates composed of covalently linked FLC and...
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Characterization of two aminotransferases from Candida albicans
PublicationAminoadipate aminotransferase (AmAA) is an enzyme of α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) for l-lysine biosynthesis. AmAA may also participated in biosynthesis or degradation of aromatic amino acids and in d-tryptophan based pigment production. The AAP is unique for fungal microorganisms. Enzymes involved in this pathway have specific structures and properties. These features can be used as potential molecular markers. Enzymes catalyzing...
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Mechanism of Binding of Antifungal Antibiotic Amphotericin B to Lipid Membranes: An Insight from Combined Single-Membrane Imaging, Microspectroscopy, and Molecular Dynamics
PublicationAmphotericin B is a lifesaving polyene antibiotic used in the treatment of systemic mycoses. Unfortunately, the pharmacological applicability of this drug is limited because of its severe toxic side effects. At the same time, the lack of a well-defined mechanism of selectivity hampers the efforts to rationally design safer derivatives. As the drug primarily targets the biomembranes of both fungi and humans, new insights into the...
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Aleksandra Kuplińska mgr inż.
People