Dataset Information

Structures of Cryptococcus neoformans protein farnesyltransferase reveal strategies for developing inhibitors that target fungal pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals, including AIDS patients and transplant recipients. Few antifungals can treat C. neoformans infections, and drug resistance is increasing. Protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyzes post-translational lipidation of key signal transduction proteins and is essential in C. neoformans. We present a multidisciplinary study validating C. neoformans FTase (CnFTase) as a drug target, showing that several anticancer FTase inhibitors with disparate scaffolds can inhibit C. neoformans and suggesting structure-based strategies for further optimization of these leads. Structural studies are an essential element for species-specific inhibitor development strategies by revealing similarities and differences between pathogen and host orthologs that can be exploited. We, therefore, present eight crystal structures of CnFTase that define the enzymatic reaction cycle, basis of ligand selection, and structurally divergent regions of the active site. Crystal structures of clinically important anticancer FTase inhibitors in complex with CnFTase reveal opportunities for optimization of selectivity for the fungal enzyme by modifying functional groups that interact with structurally diverse regions. A substrate-induced conformational change in CnFTase is observed as part of the reaction cycle, a feature that is mechanistically distinct from human FTase. Our combined structural and functional studies provide a framework for developing FTase inhibitors to treat invasive fungal infections.

SUBMITTER: Hast MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3186413 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Structures of Cryptococcus neoformans protein farnesyltransferase reveal strategies for developing inhibitors that target fungal pathogens.

Hast Michael A MA Nichols Connie B CB Armstrong Stephanie M SM Kelly Shannon M SM Hellinga Homme W HW Alspaugh J Andrew JA Beese Lorena S LS

The Journal of biological chemistry 20110804 40

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals, including AIDS patients and transplant recipients. Few antifungals can treat C. neoformans infections, and drug resistance is increasing. Protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyzes post-translational lipidation of key signal transduction proteins and is essential in C. neoformans. We present a multidisciplinary study validating C. neoformans FTase (CnFTase) as a drug target, ...[more]

PMID: 21816822

Similar Datasets

Project description:Invasive fungal diseases are a major threat to human health, resulting in more than 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year. Yet the arsenal of antifungal therapeutics remains limited and is in dire need of novel drugs that target additional fungal-specific biosynthetic pathways. One such pathway involves the biosynthesis of trehalose. Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide composed of two molecules of glucose that is required for pathogenic fungi, including Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, to survive in their human hosts. Trehalose biosynthesis is a two-step process in fungal pathogens. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (Tps1) converts UDP-glucose and glucose-6-phosphate to trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P). Subsequently, trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (Tps2) converts T6P to trehalose. The trehalose biosynthesis pathway has been identified as a top candidate for novel antifungal development based on quality, occurrence, specificity, and assay development. However, there are currently no known antifungal agents that target this pathway. As initial steps to develop Tps1 from Cryptococcus neoformans (CnTps1) as a drug target, we report the structures of full-length apo CnTps1 and CnTps1 in complex with uridine diphosphate (UDP) and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P). Both CnTps1 structures are tetramers and display D2 (222) molecular symmetry. Comparison of these two structures reveals significant movement towards the catalytic pocket by the N-terminus upon ligand binding and identifies key residues required for substrate-binding, which are conserved amongst other Tps1 enzymes, as well as residues that stabilize the tetramer. Intriguingly, an intrinsically disordered domain (IDD), encompassing residues M209 to I300, which is conserved amongst Cryptococcal species and closely related Basidiomycetes, extends from each subunit of the tetramer into the "solvent" but is not visible in the density maps. Although, activity assays revealed that the highly conserved IDD is not required for catalysis in vitro, we hypothesize that the IDD is required for C. neoformans Tps1-dependent thermotolerance and osmotic stress survival. Characterization of the substrate specificity of CnTps1 revealed that UDP-galactose, an epimer of UDP-glucose, is a very poor substrate and inhibitor of the enzyme and highlights the exquisite substrate specificity of Tps1. In toto, these studies expand our knowledge of trehalose biosynthesis in Cryptococcus and highlight the potential of developing antifungal therapeutics that disrupt the synthesis of this disaccharide or the formation of a functional tetramer and the use of cryo-EM in the structural characterization of CnTps1-ligand/drug complexes.

Project description:The current therapeutic challenges for treating fungal diseases demand new approaches and new drugs. A promising strategy involves combination therapy with agents of distinct mechanisms of action to increase fungicidal activity and limit the impact of mutations leading to resistance. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal potential of bortezomib by examining the inhibition of proteasome activity, cell proliferation, and capsule production by Cryptococcus neoformans, the causative agent of fungal meningoencephalitis. Chemical genetic screens with collections of deletion mutants identified potential druggable targets for combination therapy with bortezomib. In vitro assays of combinations of bortezomib with flucytosine, chlorpromazine, bafilomycin A1, copper sulfate, or hydroxyurea revealed antifungal effects against C. neoformans. Furthermore, combination treatment with bortezomib and flucytosine in a murine inhalation model of cryptococcosis resulted in the improvement of neurological functions and reduced fungal replication and dissemination, leading to a delay in disease progression. This study therefore highlights the utility of chemical genetic screens to identify new therapeutic approaches as well as the antifungal potential of proteasome inhibition. IMPORTANCE Fungal diseases of humans are difficult to treat, and there is a clear need for additional antifungal drugs, better diagnostics, effective vaccines, and new approaches to deal with emerging drug resistance. Fungi are challenging to control because they share many common biochemical functions with their mammalian hosts and it is therefore difficult to identify fungal-specific targets for drug development. One approach is to employ existing antifungal drugs in combination with agents that target common cellular processes at levels that are (ideally) not toxic for the host. We pursued this approach in this study by examining the potential of the clinically approved proteasome inhibitor bortezomib to influence the proliferation and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. We found that the combination of bortezomib with the anti-cryptococcal drug flucytosine improved the survival of infected mice, thus demonstrating the potential of this strategy for antifungal therapy.

Project description:UNLABELLED: Cryptococcosis is a multifaceted fungal infection with variable clinical presentation and outcome. As in many infectious diseases, this variability is commonly assigned to host factors. To investigate whether the diversity of Cryptococcus neoformans clinical (ClinCn) isolates influences the interaction with host cells and the clinical outcome, we developed and validated new quantitative assays using flow cytometry and J774 macrophages. The phenotype of ClinCn-macrophage interactions was determined for 54 ClinCn isolates recovered from cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) from 54 unrelated patients, based on phagocytic index (PI) and 2-h and 48-h intracellular proliferation indexes (IPH2 and IPH48, respectively). Their phenotypes were highly variable. Isolates harboring low PI/low IPH2 and high PI/high IPH2 values were associated with nonsterilization of CSF at week 2 and death at month 3, respectively. A subset of 9 ClinCn isolates with different phenotypes exhibited variable virulence in mice and displayed intramacrophagic expression levels of the LAC1, APP1, VAD1, IPC1, PLB1, and COX1 genes that were highly variable among the isolates and correlated with IPH48. Variation in the expression of virulence factors is thus shown here to depend on not only experimental conditions but also fungal background. These results suggest that, in addition to host factors, the patient's outcome can be related to fungal determinants. Deciphering the molecular events involved in C. neoformans fate inside host cells is crucial for our understanding of cryptococcosis pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE: Cryptococcus neoformans is a life-threatening human fungal pathogen that is responsible for an estimated 1 million cases of meningitis/year, predominantly in HIV-infected patients. The diversity of infecting isolates is well established, as is the importance of the host factors. Interaction with macrophages is a major step in cryptococcosis pathogenesis. How the diversity of clinical isolates influences macrophages' interactions and impacts cryptococcosis outcome in humans remains to be elucidated. Using new assays, we uncovered how yeast-macrophage interactions were highly variable among clinical isolates and found an association between specific behaviors and cryptococcosis outcome. In addition, gene expression of some virulence factors and intracellular proliferation were correlated. While many studies have established that virulence factors can be differentially expressed as a function of experimental conditions, our study demonstrates that, under the same experimental conditions, clinical isolates behaved differently, a diversity that could participate in the variable outcome of infection in humans.

Project description:Bacteria interact with each other in nature and often compete for limited nutrient and space resources. However, it is largely unknown whether and how bacteria also interact with human fungal pathogens naturally found in the environment. Here, we identified a soil bacterium, Bacillus safensis, which potently blocked several key Cryptococcus neoformans virulence factors, including formation of the antioxidant pigment melanin and production of the antiphagocytic polysaccharide capsule. The bacterium also inhibited de novo cryptococcal biofilm formation but had only modest inhibitory effects on already formed biofilms or planktonic cell growth. The inhibition of fungal melanization was dependent on direct cell contact and live bacteria. B. safensis also had anti-virulence factor activity against another major human-associated fungal pathogen, Candida albicans Specifically, dual-species interaction studies revealed that the bacterium strongly inhibited C. albicans filamentation and biofilm formation. In particular, B. safensis physically attached to and degraded candidal filaments. Through genetic and phenotypic analyses, we demonstrated that bacterial chitinase activity against fungal cell wall chitin is a factor contributing to the antipathogen effect of B. safensisIMPORTANCE Pathogenic fungi are estimated to contribute to as many human deaths as tuberculosis or malaria. Two of the most common fungal pathogens, Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, account for up to 1.4 million infections per year with very high mortality rates. Few antifungal drugs are available for treatment, and development of novel therapies is complicated by the need for pathogen-specific targets. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify novel drug targets and new drugs. Pathogens use virulence factors during infection, and it has recently been proposed that targeting these factors instead of the pathogen itself may represent a new approach to develop antimicrobials. Here, we identified a soil bacterium that specifically blocked virulence factor production and biofilm formation by C. neoformans and C. albicans We demonstrate that the bacterial antipathogen mechanism is based in part on targeting the fungal cell wall, a structure not found in human cells.

Dataset Information

Structures of Cryptococcus neoformans protein farnesyltransferase reveal strategies for developing inhibitors that target fungal pathogens.

Publications

Structures of Cryptococcus neoformans protein farnesyltransferase reveal strategies for developing inhibitors that target fungal pathogens.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets