Share:
Candida albicans scientists have discovered previously unknown fungal toxin
In theory, fungal infections can occur almost anywhere in the body. Common trigger is the yeast fungus Candida albicans. In international cooperation with British and US colleagues, German researchers identified a poison of the disease-causing yeast Candida albicans. For their discovery, they have now been awarded the "Leibniz Active Ingredient of the Year 2017" award.
The honor is addressed to Duncan Wilson, dr. Selene Mogavero and Prof. Bernhard Hube from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute - in Jena and Prof. Thomas Gutsmann from the Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences for the discovery of the previously unknown fungal toxin. The researchers had published in the journal "Nature" the results of their study of the new fungal toxin and attracted international attention.
A newly discovered fungal toxin could play a significant role in yeast infections with Candida albicans. (Image: Dr_Kateryna / fotolia.com) Fungus Candidalysin perforates the cells
The scientists identified a special peptide called Candidalysin, which perforates the membrane of the host cell and thus leads to its dissolution (lysis), reports the Hans Knöll Institute. The special fungal toxin "thus contributes significantly to the pathogenic effect of the yeast fungus." The discovery of the poison is worthy of several awards. For example, scientists have failed for decades to detect molecules responsible for tissue damage and the course of a fungal infection. Especially in Candida albicans, these processes are interesting because the fungus also occur harmless on mucous membranes.
Toxin was trickily hidden
Superficial infections with Candida albicans mainly affect women, very young or old people and also AIDS patients, the experts report. In severely immunocompromised patients, Candida albicans can even cause life-threatening infections. The now discovered fungal poison probably plays a decisive role in the pathological processes. "The reason why microbiologists discovered candidalysin only after decades of intensive research is a trick of the fungus pathogen", according to the announcement of the Hans Knöll Institute. Candida albicans initially forms a larger molecule, a polyprotein, which is only split by an enzyme into several parts, among which then finds the pathogenic poison.
New approaches to therapy
With the discovery of the fungus Candidalysin, the scientist has taken a decisive step in understanding the disease mechanisms of infectious fungi and may be able to derive new therapeutic approaches in the future, reports the Hans Knöll Institute. In the fight against the dangerous fungal infections, the discovery of the toxin is only the beginning. Further research will now investigate the interaction between venom and the immune system at the molecular level. Also, the tasks of other genetic components of the fungus in an infection to be decrypted. Last but not least, it is equally interesting whether Candidalysin also acts on bacteria or there is an exchange between the poison and bacteria in common habitats such as the human intestine, the researchers report. (Fp)