Optimization of the Antifungal Properties of the Bacterial Peptide EntV by Variant Analysis

Overview

Journal mBio

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2024 Apr 8

PMID 38587425

Authors

Shantanu Guha

Shane A Cristy

Giuseppe Buda De Cesare

Melissa R Cruz

Michael C Lorenz

Danielle A Garsin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Importance: Since the early 1980s, the incidence of disseminated life-threatening fungal infections has been on the rise. Worldwide, and species are among the most common agents causing these infections. Simultaneously, with this rise of clinical incidence, there has also been an increased prevalence of antifungal resistance, making treatment of these infections very difficult. For example, there are now strains of auris that are resistant to all three classes of currently used antifungal drugs. In this study, we report on a strategy that allows for the development of novel antifungal agents by using synthetic molecular evolution. These discoveries demonstrate that the enhancement of antifungal activity from naturally occurring peptides is possible and can result in clinically relevant agents that have efficacy in multiple models as well as the potential for broad-spectrum activity.

Citing Articles

Fungal biofilms in human health and disease.

Ramage G, Kean R, Rautemaa-Richardson R, Williams C, Lopez-Ribot J Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025; .

PMID: 39910237 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-025-01147-0.

Vertebrate and invertebrate animal infection models of Candida auris pathogenicity.

Martinez M, Garsin D, Lorenz M Curr Opin Microbiol. 2024; 80:102506.

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