Publication details
Development of antifungals against the black yeast
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2003 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | MICROBIOLOGY TODAY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Other medical specializations |
| Keywords | development of antifungals-black yeast-cytoskeleton |
| Description | Aureobasidium pullulans is opportunistic human pathogen, found in a number of very unpleasant infections, usually in patients who are immunocompromised. Treating these conditions is difficult, because there are only subtle differences between a fungus and a human that can be exploited for antifungal therapies. Authors studied cytoskeleton in A. pullulans, hoping to find clues for new antifungal drugs. Thick bundles of microtubules along with actin structures make up cytoskeleton that gives structure and shape to the cells and are essential in directing the flow of nutrients along the long cells. Authors studied whether cytoskeleton differed in different types of cells. F-actin was located only at the tip and in a few rings around young hyphae. Other changes occurred to the microtubules in synchrony with division of the nuclei. Their observations have laid the basis for further studies on the susceptibility of the fungus to antifungal agents, focusing attention on those that disrupt microtubules. |
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