Project description:Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant human fungal pathogen often refractory to treatment by all classes of antifungal drugs. Amphotericin B (AmB) is a fungicidal drug that, despite its toxic side effects, remains a drug of choice for the treatment of drug-resistant fungal infections, including those caused by C. auris. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying AmB resistance are poorly understood. In this study, we present data that suggests membrane lipid alterations and chromatin modifications are critical processes that contribute to or cause adaptive AmB resistance in clinical C. auris isolates. To determine the plausible cause of increased AmB resistance, we performed RNA-seq of AmB-resistant and sensitive C. auris isolates. Remarkably, AmB-resistant strains show a pronounced enrichment of genes involved in lipid and ergosterol biosynthesis, adhesion, drug transport as well as chromatin remodeling. The transcriptomics data confirm increased adhesion and reduced lipid membrane permeability of AmB-resistant strains compared to the sensitive isolates. The AmB-resistant strains also display hyper-resistance to cell wall perturbing agents, including congo red, calcofluor white and caffeine. Additionally, we noticed an increased phosphorylation of Mkc1 cell integrity MAP kinase upon AmB treatment. Collectively, these data identify differences in the transcriptional landscapes of AmB-resistant vs AmB-senstive isolates, and provide a framework for the mechanistic understanding of AmB resistance in C. auris.
Project description:Candida auris reference strain B11221 was exposed to sub-inhibitory (1μg/ml) and inhibitory (8μg/ml) tunicamycin for 3h. Transcriptomes were compared to no drug treatment control.
Project description:To mimic the initial phases of systemic Candida infections with dissemination via the bloodstream, we used an ex vivo whole blood infection model. Dual TP of C. auris in blood gave insights into fungal adaptations and survival mechanisms as well as the host response to the infection.
Project description:Candida auris clinical isolate FY279 was exposed to tebuconazole (32μg/ml). Randomly14 adaptors were chosen. 10 adaptors obtained resistance to tebuconazole. These resistant adaptors were sequenced.
Project description:The emergence of Candida auris poses a significant health challenge that has led to a new era of multidrug-resistant fungal infections. Invasive infections caused by C. auris are usually associated with remarkable morbidity and mortality. For many years, amphotericin B (AmB) remained the most efficient and the last line of treatment against most hard-to-treat fungal infections. However, strains of C. auris possess extraordinary resistance to most antifungal agents, including AmB. In this study, we screened ~2600 FDA-approved drugs and clinical compounds to identify the antiemetic drug rolapitant as a promising enhancer to AmB against C. auris. Rolapitant exhibited potent synergistic interactions with AmB against all tested (29/29) C. auris isolates. In a time-kill assay, rolapitant restored the fungicidal activity of AmB within 4 h. Additionally, the synergistic relationship between rolapitant and AmB was observed against other medically crucial Candida, Cryptococcus and Aspergillus species with ΣFICI that ranged from 0.16 to 0.5. In a transcriptomic study, ion transporters and ATP generation were identified as primary pathways impacted in C. auris AR0390 cells exposed to rolapitant. An ATP luminescence assay confirmed that rolapitant, at sub-inhibitory concentrations, significantly interfered with ATP production in C. auris. Moreover, rolapitant enhanced the in vivo activity of AmB in a mouse model of disseminated C. auris infection, as the combination reduced the fungal burden in murine kidneys by ~1 log (~90%) colony forming units. Our findings warrant further investigation of using rolapitant to overcome AmB resistance in C. auris and other fungal species.
Project description:In this study, we designed a novel antifungal agent, PQA-Az-13 that demonstrated antifungal activity against C. auris biofilms. Cellular proteomics indicated that PQA-Az-13 partially or completely inhibited numerous enzymatic proteins in C. auris biofilms, particularly those involved in both amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism processes, as well as in general energy-producing processes. Due to its hydrophobic nature and limited aqueous solubility, PQA-Az-13 was encapsulated in cationic liposomes and characterized by biophysical and spectral techniques. PQA-Az-13 liposomes demonstrated enhanced antifungal activity levels against both C. auris in in vitro biofilms and ex vivo skin colonization models.
Project description:Candida auris clade III isolate B11221 was spread on YPD plate supplemented with 8 µg/ml tunicamycin. Randomly 18 adaptors were chosen for further analysis. We did sequencing of these 18 adaptors as well as the parent.
Project description:The limited number of antifungals and the emergence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris pose a significant challenge to human medicine. Here, we utilized combinatorial drug therapy as an approach to augment the activity of current azole antifungals against C. auris. We evaluated the fluconazole chemosensitization activity of 1547 FDA-approved drugs and clinical molecules against an azole-resistant strain of C. auris. This led to the discovery that lopinavir, an antiviral drug, is a potent agent capable of sensitizing C. auris to the effect of azole antifungals. At a therapeutically achievable concentration (4-8 µg/ml), lopinavir exhibited potent synergistic interactions with azole drugs, particularly with itraconazole, against C. auris (ΣFICI ranged from 0.05-0.50). The lopinavir/itraconazole combination enhanced the survival rate of C. auris-infected Caenorhabditis elegans by 90% and reduced the fungal burden in infected nematodes by 88.5% (p < 0.05). Moreover, lopinavir enhanced the antifungal activity of itraconazole against other medically important Candida species including C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis. Comparative transcriptomic profiling revealed that lopinavir interferes with glucose permeation and ATP synthesis. This compromises the function of the efflux pumps presents in C. auris enhancing sensitivity to azole antifungals, as demonstrated by Nile red efflux assays. This study presents lopinavir as a novel, potent and broad-spectrum azole chemosensitizing agent that warrants further investigation against recalcitrant Candida infections.