Gene Expression of Pneumocystis murina after Treatment with Anidulafungin Results in Strong Signals for Sexual Reproduction, Cell Wall Integrity, and Cell Cycle Arrest, Indicating a Requirement for Ascus Formation for Proliferation.

The echinocandins are a class of antifungal agents that target β-1,3-d-glucan (BG) biosynthesis. In the ascigerous species, treatment with these drugs depletes the ascus life cycle stage, which contains BG, but large numbers of forms which do not express BG remain in the infected lungs. In the present study, the gene expression profiles of were compared between infected, untreated mice and mice treated with anidulafungin for 2 weeks to understand the metabolism of the persisting forms.