Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2042178 | Cell Reports | 2013 | 9 Pages |
SummaryAmphotericin, miconazole, and ciclopirox are antifungal agents from three different drug classes that can effectively kill planktonic yeast, yet their complete fungicidal mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we employ a systems biology approach to identify a common oxidative-damage cellular death pathway triggered by these representative fungicides in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This mechanism utilizes a signaling cascade involving the GTPases Ras1 and Ras2 and protein kinase A, and it culminates in death through the production of toxic reactive oxygen species in a tricarboxylic-acid-cycle- and respiratory-chain-dependent manner. We also show that the metabolome of C. albicans is altered by antifungal drug treatment, exhibiting a shift from fermentation to respiration, a jump in the AMP/ATP ratio, and elevated production of sugars; this coincides with elevated mitochondrial activity. Lastly, we demonstrate that DNA damage plays a critical role in antifungal-induced cellular death and that blocking DNA-repair mechanisms potentiates fungicidal activity.
Graphical AbstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Fungicide-dependent reactive oxygen species production leads to fungal cellular death ► The TCA, ETC, and RAS/PKA pathways are involved in fungicide-induced cellular death ► Antifungals elevate mitochondrial activity, the AMP/ATP ratio, and sugar production ► DNA damage plays an important role in fungicide-induced cellular death