Publications by authors named "J P Latge"
Invasive aspergillosis poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients, leading to high mortality rates associated with these infections. Targeting the biosynthesis of cell wall carbohydrates is a promising strategy for antifungal drug development and will be advanced by a molecular-level understanding of the native structures of polysaccharides within their cellular context. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy has recently provided detailed insights into the cell wall organization of Aspergillus fumigatus, but genetic and biochemical evidence highlights species-specific differences among Aspergillus species.
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- Zygomycetous fungal infections are becoming a serious problem for people with weak immune systems.
- Scientists studied the cell walls of some fungi to understand how they grow and how our bodies respond to them.
- They found important details about the cell walls and think that learning more could help create new medicines to fight these fungal infections.
Caspofungin, a lipopeptide, is an antifungal drug that belong to the class of echinocandin. It inhibits fungal cell wall β-(1,3)-glucan synthase activity and is the second-line of drug for invasive aspergillosis, a fatal infection caused mainly by Aspergillus fumigatus. On the other hand, Enfumafungin is a natural triterpene glycoside also with a β-(1,3)-glucan synthase inhibitory activity and reported to have antifungal potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvasive aspergillosis poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients, leading to high mortality rates associated with these infections. Targeting the biosynthesis of cell wall carbohydrates is a promising strategy for antifungal drug development and will be advanced by a molecular-level understanding of the native structures of polysaccharides within their cellular context. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy has recently provided detailed insights into the cell wall organization of , but genetic and biochemical evidence highlights species-specific differences among species.
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- PTX3 is a protective molecule that interacts with the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus in different ways, depending on the fungal form (germinating vs. dormant conidia).
- It recognizes germinating conidia through a specific polysaccharide and interacts with dormant conidia through weak binding with surface proteins, while other proteins (SP-D, C1q, C3b) enhance this interaction.
- PTX3 helps regulate inflammation by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory signals and increasing anti-inflammatory signals like IL-10 in immune responses related to aspergillosis and potentially serves as a biomarker for certain fungal infections.