Open AccessPeptides of the Constant Region of Antibodies Display Fungicidal Activity
Author(s) -
Luciano Polonelli,
Tecla Ciociola,
Walter Magliani,
Pier Paolo Zanello,
Tiziana D’Adda,
Serena Galati,
Flavia De Bernardis,
Silvia Arancia,
Elena Gabrielli,
Eva Pericolini,
Anna Vecchiarelli,
Denise C. Arruda,
Márcia R. Pinto,
Luiz R. Travassos,
Thelma A. Pertinhez,
Alberto Spisni,
Stefania Conti
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0034105
Subject(s) - cryptococcus neoformans , candida albicans , caspofungin , microbiology and biotechnology , peptide , in vitro , antibody , biology , fungicide , immune system , triazole , candida glabrata , fungal protein , antifungal , chemistry , biochemistry , yeast , immunology , amphotericin b , saccharomyces cerevisiae , botany , organic chemistry
Synthetic peptides with sequences identical to fragments of the constant region of different classes (IgG, IgM, IgA) of antibodies (Fc-peptides) exerted a fungicidal activity in vitro against pathogenic yeasts, such as Candida albicans , Candida glabrata , Cryptococcus neoformans , and Malassezia furfur , including caspofungin and triazole resistant strains. Alanine-substituted derivatives of fungicidal Fc-peptides, tested to evaluate the critical role of each residue, displayed unaltered, increased or decreased candidacidal activity in vitro . An Fc-peptide, included in all human IgGs, displayed a therapeutic effect against experimental mucosal and systemic candidiasis in mouse models. It is intriguing to hypothesize that some Fc-peptides may influence the antifungal immune response and constitute the basis for devising new antifungal agents.
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