Microbiology and Immunology Department, Federal University of Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Mycoses. 2014 Jan;57(1):1-11. doi: 10.1111/myc.12095. Epub 2013 Jun 4.
Fungal infections represent a serious health risk as they are particularly prevalent in immunocompromised individuals. Candida spp. pathogenicity depends on several factors and secreted aspartic proteinases (Sap) are considered one of the most critical factors as they are associated with adhesion, invasion and tissue damage. The production of proteinases is encoded by a family of 10 genes known as SAP, which are distributed differently among the species. The expression of these genes may be influenced by environmental conditions, which generally result in a higher fungal invasive potential. Non-pathogenic Candida spp. usually have fewer SAP genes, which are not necessarily expressed in the genome. Exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of antifungal agents promotes the development of resistant strains with an increased expression of SAP genes. In general, Candida spp. isolates that are resistant to antifungals show a higher secretion of Sap than the susceptible isolates. The relationship between Sap secretion and the susceptibility profile of the isolates is of great interest, although the role of SAPs in the development of resistance to antifungal agents remains still unclear. This review is the first one to address these issues.
真菌感染是一个严重的健康风险，因为它们在免疫功能低下的个体中尤为普遍。念珠菌属的致病性取决于多个因素，分泌的天冬氨酸蛋白酶（SAP）被认为是其中最关键的因素之一，因为它们与黏附、侵袭和组织损伤有关。蛋白酶的产生由一个称为 SAP 的 10 个基因家族编码，这些基因在不同物种中的分布方式不同。这些基因的表达可能受到环境条件的影响，这通常会导致真菌侵袭性的提高。通常情况下，非致病性念珠菌属的 SAP 基因较少，不一定在基因组中表达。暴露于亚抑菌浓度的抗真菌药物会促进耐药菌株的发展，这些耐药菌株 SAP 基因的表达会增加。一般来说，对抗真菌药物耐药的念珠菌属分离株比敏感的分离株有更高的 Sap 分泌。Sap 分泌与分离株的药敏谱之间的关系非常重要，尽管 SAP 在抗真菌药物耐药性发展中的作用仍不清楚。这是第一篇针对这些问题的综述。
