Mitochondrial phosphate carrier plays an important role in virulence of Candida albicans
2024-05-22
(Press-News.org)
This study is led by Professor Yan Wang (School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University (Naval Medical University), Shanghai, China). Her team found that the lack of MIR1 gene, which encodes mitochondrial phosphate carrier, can lead to severe virulence defects in Candida albicans.
In the Caenorhabditis elegans candidiasis model, the survival rate of the wild-type strain infected group dropped to about 20% at 120 h, while the survival rate of the mir1Δ/Δ-infected group remained about 90% at 120 h. Similar results were obtained in the murine model. None of the mice infected with mir1Δ/Δ mutant died during 21 days of observation, while all of the mice infected with the wild type or the mir1Δ/MIR1 mutant died within 8 days.
The team decided to further investigate why MIR1 plays an important role in virulence of C. albicans. Hyphal formation is an important virulence factor for C. albicans to invade the host and exert virulence. The team studied the hyphal formation ability of mir1Δ/Δ mutants under different culture conditions. Interestingly, the mir1Δ/Δ mutant exhibited severe filamentation defects on the hypha-inducing agar media, including YPD + serum, Lee, Spider + glucose, SLAD, SLD, and YPS. They further found that the loss of MIR1 resulted in non-fermentable carbon utilization defects, ATP reduction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in C. albicans. The antioxidant proanthocyanidins, vitamin E, and N-acetyl cysteine could reduce intracellular ROS level and partially rescue the filamentation defects of the mir1Δ/Δ mutant. Thus, the loss of MIR1 led to a loss of virulence in C. albicans, and this effect was related to the defects in hyphal formation caused by ROS accumulation. Then a new question arises, how does ROS accumulation affect the formation of hyphae in C. albicans? Was it due to the blockage of the hyphal-promoting signaling pathways? The team tested the expressions of 11 hypha-related genes and they found that many of the genes, including ECE1, HWP1, HGC1, HYR1, CST20, CEK1, CPH1, CYR1, TPK1, EFG1 and RIM101, were down-regulated in the mir1Δ/Δ mutant. Moreover, these down-regulations could be partially rescued by the addition of the antioxidant NAC. Collectively, ROS inhibited hyphal formation of mir1Δ/Δ mutant, partially by down-regulating the expressions of hypha-related genes.
“This study shows MIR1 plays a vital role in respiration, filamentation and virulence of C. albicans, and disrupting respiration through blocking the mitochondrial phosphate carrier may be an effective antifungal strategy”, said Professor Yan Wang.
See the article:
Mitochondrial phosphate carrier plays an important role in virulence of Candida albicans
https://doi.org/10.1080/21501203.2024.2354876
END
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2024-05-22
Spontaneous coagulation casting (SCC), a new type of colloidal forming process, has garnered significant attention since 2011 due to various advantages of a high bulk density and non-toxicity, as well as the ability to achieve dispersion and coagulation with very low additions (< 1 wt%) of copolymers of isobutylene and maleic anhydride (PIBM). Further research has revealed that the green bodies formed by this method are brittle, and the smaller the powder particle size used the more brittle the green bodies are. This paper reports ...
2024-05-22
Background and Aims
Olaparib is a selective poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor. However, its clinical application is hindered by low solubility and undesired pharmacokinetic profiles (e.g., relatively short circulation). Therefore, the present study aims to exploit polymeric micelles as a safe solubilizer and nanocarrier of olaparib, in order to improve its solubility and pharmacokinetics.
Methods
Poly (ε-caprolactone)-co-poly (benzyl 5-methyl-2-oxo-1,3-dioxane-5-carboxylate), i.e., benzyl-functionalized trimethylene carbonate)-b-poly (ethylene glycol) (P(CL-co-TMC-Bz)-PEG), was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization, ...
2024-05-22
Background and Aims
Clinical unmet need in managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common liver disorder affecting 25–30% of American adults is to develop noninvasive and robust biomarkers.
Methods
We re-measured liver AC by placing a region of interest (ROI, 3 cm tall and 3 cm wide) at 4.5 cm, 6 cm, and 7.5 cm from the skin and a large ROI (6.0 cm tall and 7.3 cm wide) on pre-recorded ATI images from 117 participants screened for NAFLD. The difference in AC value at variable ROI depths was tested using one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance). Diagnostic ...
2024-05-22
A new study – published in the Human-Animal Interactions journal – reveals that cows who are cuddled as therapy animals showed a strong preference for interactions with women when compared to men.
In turn, the research, which opens a new era on whether some therapies may be initially stronger based upon gender and not procedure, highlighted that the women also reported greater attachment behaviours towards the steers.
Dr Katherine Compitus, Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University, and Dr Sonya Bierbower, Associate Professor at United States Military Academy West Point, conducted the research using the ...
2024-05-22
I’m not touching you! When another person’s finger hovers over your skin, you may get the sense that they’re touching you, feeling not necessarily contact, but their proximity. Similarly, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have designed a soft, flexible film that senses the presence of nearby objects without physically touching them. The study features the new sensor technology to detect eyelash proximity in blink-tracking glasses.
Noncontact sensors can identify or measure an object without directly touching it. Examples of these devices include ...
2024-05-22
Discoveries and progress in materials science often lay the foundation for technological breakthroughs that reshape many industrial and commercial fields, including medicine, consumer electronics, and energy generation, to name a few. Yet, the development of experimental techniques crucially underpins the exploration of new materials, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries. These techniques allow scientists to delve into a material’s chemical and physical properties, unlocking insights essential for realizing their potential applications.
In a recent study ...
2024-05-22
Toronto, ON, May 22, 2024 – A new study published in the journal Psychological Medicine estimates that teens using cannabis are at 11 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder compared to teens not using cannabis.
This finding suggests that the association between cannabis and psychotic disorders may be stronger than indicated by previous research, which has relied largely on older data when cannabis was less potent than today. For context, the average THC potency of cannabis in Canada has increased from roughly 1% in 1980 to 20% in 2018.
Researchers from the University of Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental ...
2024-05-22
Background and objectives
Patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCA) face the critical decision of whether to undergo treatment with curative intent (TCI, surgery or radiation) or conservative treatment on the background of a cancer where the potential for over-treatment and under-treatment is real. This study aimed to investigate the influence of cancer- and patient-related factors on the initial treatment decision for men with a new diagnosis of PCA and to evaluate treatment decisions against relevant guidelines.
Methods
This study undertook a retrospective ...
2024-05-22
Background and objectives
Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a cost-efficient technique for the management of thyroid nodules. Changes in the World Health Organization classification of thyroid tumors can influence reliability of cytology. The 2023 Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology has adapted cytological nomenclature to these changes. The aim of this paper was to review the management of atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) in our institution.
https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2771-165X/JCTP-2023-00062
Methods
Retrospective review of thyroid FNAC diagnosed with AUS in a single hospital between 2014 and 2022. We analyzed the management ...
2024-05-22
As much as 70% of California was covered by wildfire smoke during parts of 2020 and 2021, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the journal Communications: Earth & Environment, combined lake-based sensors with satellite imagery to find that maximum smoke cover has increased by about 116,000 square miles since 2006.
The study measured lake responses to wildfire smoke in 2018, 2020 and 2021 — the three largest fire seasons on record in California. It found the lakes were exposed ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Mitochondrial phosphate carrier plays an important role in virulence of Candida albicans
