Having worked in the field of antifungal drug discovery for many years, Creative Biolabs has gained a good reputation for successfully completed a series of challenges. Based on a wealth of experienced and professional scientists, we are capable of providing numerous antifungal targets discovering services for global customers. Now, we are happy to introduce the potential target trehalose pathway for the development of novel antifungal drugs.
Introduction of the Trehalose Pathway
Trehalose, which is also known as α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→1)-D-glucopyranoside, is a simple non-reducing sugar containing 2 glucose subunits. It is found in plants, fungi, lichens, algae, a wide variety of bacteria, insects, and invertebrates but not in mammals (outside their microbiomes). Originally, the functions of trehalose proposed by Colaço and Roser in 1995 are myriad and include water replacement, glass transformation, and chemical stability. Over time the entire pathway to trehalose formation and its degradation was deciphered in several biological systems. In particular, this pathway is directly linked to the glycolytic pathway and involved in the presence of several critical enzymes including Tps1, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, Tps2, and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase that participate in the formation of the disaccharide containing 2 glucose molecules.
Fig.1 Trehalose utilization pathway (TUP) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (Thanna, 2016)
Trehalose Pathway as Potential Antifungal Target
In most fungi, trehalose is synthesized by a two-step enzymatic reaction catalyzed by trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (Tps1) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (Tps2). Studies have shown that it plays an important role in fungal conidia survival and germination secondary to its known function as a carbon source. Also, it is an important component of the energy reserves for certain fungi as a carbohydrate source and with this stored energy. In fact, trehalose is essential for the cell stress response and survival of fungi during infections. Therefore, Tps1 and Tps2 can serve as potential targets in the search for novel antifungal targets. Furthermore, targeting the trehalose pathway poses little risk of developing drug resistance.
We are committed to helping worldwide customers identify new antifungal targets for drug resistance in fungi. During the past years, we have successfully established an advanced technology platform which enables us to provide a full range of target identification and validation services for the screening of Tps1 and Tps2 inhibitors and identifying initial hits. In addition to the trehalose pathway target exploiting, we also provide other potential cellular function-related targets exploiting service for antifungal drug discovery, which including but not limited to:
Creative Biolabs has developed multiple methods for potential target discovery. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more detailed information.
Reference
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