文章基本信息

标题：Antifungal and anti-biofilm activity of the first cryptic antimicrobial peptide from an archaeal protein against Candida spp. clinical isolates
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作者：Emanuela Roscetto ; Patrizia Contursi ; Adriana Vollaro 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2018
卷号：8
期号：1
页码：17570
DOI：10.1038/s41598-018-35530-0
语种：English
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：Candida species cause cutaneous and systemic infections with a high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised patients. The emergence of resistance to the most common antifungal drugs, also due to biofilm formation, requires the development of alternative antifungal agents. The antimicrobial peptide VLL-28, isolated from an archaeal transcription factor, shows comparable antifungal activity against 10 clinical isolates of Candida spp. Using a fluoresceinated derivative of this peptide, we found that VLL-28 binds to the surface of planktonic cells. This observation suggested that it could exert its antifungal activity by damaging the cell wall. In addition, analyses performed on biofilms via confocal microscopy revealed that VLL-28 is differentially active on all the strains tested, with C. albicans and C. parapsilosis being the most sensitive ones. Notably, VLL-28 is the first example of an archaeal antimicrobial peptide that is active towards Candida spp. Thus, this points to archaeal microorganisms as a possible reservoir of novel antifungal agents.