Antifungal proteins are proteinaceous molecules that inhibit fungal growth, viability, morphogenesis, spore germination, or other cellular processes required for fungal propagation. Within fungal biology and pharmacology, the term encompasses proteins and peptides produced by fungi, plants, animals, and microorganisms that exert activity against fungal cells through defined molecular interactions [1][2]. Their structural classes include cysteine-rich disulfide-stabilized proteins, defensins, lectins, ribosome-inactivating proteins, protease inhibitors, and enzymes or protein domains with fungistatic or fungicidal activity [1][3]. Antifungal activity may involve binding to fungal cell-wall components or membrane lipids, perturbation of membrane integrity, cellular internalization, induction of reactive oxygen species, disruption of ion homeostasis, interference with cell-wall biosynthesis, or activation of regulated cell-death pathways. The defining scope of antifungal proteins comprises their molecular capacity to recognize or perturb fungal cellular structures and physiological processes, resulting in measurable suppression of fungal growth or survival [2][4].
- antimicrobial proteins
- fungal defensins
- cysteine-rich proteins
- fungal cell membrane
🔵 Fungal Biology and Applications • 🟣 Pharmacology • 🟡 Medicine • 🔴 Health Sciences
References
- Tzi Bun Ng; Randy Chi Fai Cheung; Jack Ho Wong; Yau Sang Chan; Xiuli Dan; Wenliang Pan; Hexiang Wang; Suzhen Guan; Ki Chan; Xiuyun Ye; et al. Fungal Proteinaceous Compounds with Multiple Biological Activities. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2016, 100, 6601-6617, 10.1007/s00253-016-7671-9.
- Kathy Parisi; Thomas M.A. Shafee; Pedro Quimbar; Nicole L. van der Weerden; Mark R. Bleackley; Marilyn A. Anderson; The Evolution, Function and Mechanisms of Action for Plant Defensins. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 2019, 88, 107-118, 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.02.004.
- Györgyi Váradi; Gábor K. Tóth; Gyula Batta; Structure and Synthesis of Antifungal Disulfide β-Strand Proteins from Filamentous Fungi. Microorg. 2018, 7, 5, 10.3390/microorganisms7010005.
- Paloma Manzanares; Moisés Giner-Llorca; Jose F. Marcos; Sandra Garrigues; Fighting Pathogenic Yeasts with Plant Defensins and Anti-Fungal Proteins from Fungi. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2024, 108, 1-15, 10.1007/s00253-024-13118-1.