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Fungal Foe

Discovery of enzyme NADase on pathogenic fungus – a potential target for treatment

10 April 2021

Fungal Foe

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus (pictured), found in soils and decomposing vegetation, is so widespread in nature that practically every human regularly inhales its airborne spores. While healthy immune systems simply eliminate these spores, those weakened by immunosuppressant drugs, or diseases like AIDS or leukaemia, can fail to clear the fungus and allow a potentially deadly infection to take hold. In fact, A. fumigatus kills several hundred thousand people worldwide each year and is becoming increasingly resistant to antifungal medications. Researchers have recently discovered an enzyme on the surface of the fungus, called NADase, which destroys a molecule (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) critical for host cell survival and thus is likely to contribute to the fungus’s pathogenicity. Indeed, several pathogenic bacterial species also produce NADase. With this new information, researchers have both a better understanding of A. fumigatus pathology and a better chance of designing effective new drugs against it.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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