Fighting pathogenic yeasts with plant defensins and anti-fungal proteins from fungi.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol
; 108(1): 277, 2024 Mar 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38536496
ABSTRACT
Fungal infections represent a significant health risk worldwide. Opportunistic infections caused by yeasts, particularly by Candida spp. and their virulent emerging isolates, have become a major threat to humans, with an increase in fatal cases of infections attributed to the lack of effective anti-yeast therapies and the emergence of fungal resistance to the currently applied drugs. In this regard, the need for novel anti-fungal agents with modes of action different from those currently available is undeniable. Anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for the development of novel anti-fungal biomolecules to be applied in clinic. A class of AMPs that is of particular interest is the small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs). Among CRPs, plant defensins and anti-fungal proteins (AFPs) of fungal origin constitute two of the largest and most promising groups of CRPs showing anti-fungal properties, including activity against multi-resistant pathogenic yeasts. In this review, we update and compare the sequence, structure, and properties of plant defensins and AFPs with anti-yeast activity, along with their in vitro and in vivo potency. We focus on the current knowledge about their mechanism of action that may lead the way to new anti-fungals, as well as on the developments for their effective biotechnological production. KEY POINTS ⢠Plant defensins and fungal AFPs are alternative anti-yeast agents ⢠Their multi-faceted mode of action makes occurrence of resistance rather improbable ⢠Safe and cost-effective biofactories remain crucial for clinical application.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article