Peptides of the Constant Region of Antibodies Display Fungicidal Activity

• Autor(a) principal: Polonelli, Luciano
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Ciociola, Tecla, Magliani, Walter, Zanello, Pier Paolo, D'Adda, Tiziana, Galati, Serena, De Bernardis, Flavia, Arancia, Silvia, Gabrielli, Elena, Pericolini, Eva, Vecchiarelli, Anna, Arruda, Denise C. [UNIFESP], Pinto, Marcia R., Travassos, Luiz Rodolpho [UNIFESP], Pertinhez, Thelma A., Spisni, Alberto, Conti, Stefania
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034105; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/34716

Synthetic peptides with sequences identical to fragments of the constant region of different classes (IgG, IgM, IgA) of antibodies (Fc-peptides) exerted a fungicidal activity in vitro against pathogenic yeasts, such as Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Malassezia furfur, including caspofungin and triazole resistant strains. Alanine-substituted derivatives of fungicidal Fc-peptides, tested to evaluate the critical role of each residue, displayed unaltered, increased or decreased candidacidal activity in vitro. An Fc-peptide, included in all human IgGs, displayed a therapeutic effect against experimental mucosal and systemic candidiasis in mouse models. It is intriguing to hypothesize that some Fc-peptides may influence the antifungal immune response and constitute the basis for devising new antifungal agents.