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Publication Abstract from PubMed

The global emergence of antifungal resistance threatens the limited arsenal of available treatments and emphasizes the urgent need for alternative antifungal agents. Targeting fungal pathogenic functions is an appealing alternative therapeutic strategy. Here, we show that cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS), compared with cystathionine gamma-lyase, is the major enzyme that synthesizes hydrogen sulfide in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. Deletion of CBS leads to deficiencies in resistance to oxidative stress, retarded cell growth, defective hyphal growth, and increased beta-glucan exposure, which, together, reduce the pathogenicity of C. albicans. By high-throughput screening, we identified protolichesterinic acid, a natural molecule obtained from a lichen, as an inhibitor of CBS that neutralizes the virulence of C. albicans and exhibits therapeutic efficacy in a murine candidiasis model. These findings support the application of CBS as a potential therapeutic target to fight fungal infections.

Inhibition of fungal pathogenicity by targeting the H(2)S-synthesizing enzyme cystathionine beta-synthase.,Chang W, Zhang M, Jin X, Zhang H, Zheng H, Zheng S, Qiao Y, Yu H, Sun B, Hou X, Lou H Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 16;8(50):eadd5366. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.add5366. Epub 2022 Dec , 16. PMID:36525499^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.