Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomic Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, Iraq.
Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 11;15(1):4984. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48592-8.
More than 10 million people suffer from lung diseases caused by the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Azole antifungals represent first-line therapeutics for most of these infections but resistance is rising, therefore the identification of antifungal targets whose inhibition synergises with the azoles could improve therapeutic outcomes. Here, we generate a library of 111 genetically barcoded null mutants of Aspergillus fumigatus in genes encoding protein kinases, and show that loss of function of kinase YakA results in hypersensitivity to the azoles and reduced pathogenicity. YakA is an orthologue of Candida albicans Yak1, a TOR signalling pathway kinase involved in modulation of stress responsive transcriptional regulators. We show that YakA has been repurposed in A. fumigatus to regulate blocking of the septal pore upon exposure to stress. Loss of YakA function reduces the ability of A. fumigatus to penetrate solid media and to grow in mouse lung tissue. We also show that 1-ethoxycarbonyl-beta-carboline (1-ECBC), a compound previously shown to inhibit C. albicans Yak1, prevents stress-mediated septal spore blocking and synergises with the azoles to inhibit A. fumigatus growth.
超过 1000 万人患有由致病真菌烟曲霉引起的肺部疾病。唑类抗真菌药是大多数此类感染的一线治疗药物,但耐药性正在上升,因此鉴定与唑类药物协同抑制的抗真菌靶标可以改善治疗效果。在这里,我们生成了一个包含 111 个编码蛋白激酶的基因的遗传条形码缺失突变体的文库,结果表明 YakA 激酶的功能丧失导致对唑类药物的敏感性增加和致病性降低。YakA 是白念珠菌 Yak1 的同源物,Yak1 是一种参与调节应激反应转录调节剂的 TOR 信号通路激酶。我们表明,YakA 在烟曲霉中被重新用于调节在应激暴露时对隔膜孔的阻断。YakA 功能的丧失降低了烟曲霉穿透固体培养基和在小鼠肺组织中生长的能力。我们还表明,1-乙氧基羰基-β-咔啉(1-ECBC),一种先前显示抑制白念珠菌 Yak1 的化合物,可防止应激介导的隔膜孢子阻断,并与唑类药物协同抑制烟曲霉生长。
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