Targeting Fibronectin To Disrupt In Vivo Candida albicans Biofilms

Jeniel E Nett; Jonathan Cabezas-Olcoz; Karen Marchillo; Deane F Mosher; David R Andes

doi:10.1128/AAC.03094-15

Targeting Fibronectin To Disrupt In Vivo Candida albicans Biofilms

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Apr 22;60(5):3152-5. doi: 10.1128/AAC.03094-15. Print 2016 May.

Authors

Jeniel E Nett¹, Jonathan Cabezas-Olcoz¹, Karen Marchillo¹, Deane F Mosher², David R Andes³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
² Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA dra@medicine.wisc.edu.

Abstract

New drug targets are of great interest for the treatment of fungal biofilms, which are routinely resistant to antifungal therapies. We theorized that the interaction of Candida albicans with matricellular host proteins would provide a novel target. Here, we show that an inhibitory protein (FUD) targeting Candida-fibronectin interactions disrupts biofilm formation in vitro and in vivo in a rat venous catheter model. The peptide appears to act by blocking the surface adhesion of Candida, halting biofilm formation.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
Biofilms / drug effects*
Candida albicans / drug effects*
Catheter-Related Infections / microbiology
Fibronectins / metabolism*
Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / drug effects
Rats

Substances

Antifungal Agents
Fibronectins

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding