Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026

Whole Genome Sequencing of Candida glabrata for Detection of Markers of Antifungal Drug Resistance
Published on: December 28, 2017
Echinocandins: production and applications
Tamás Emri1, László Majoros, Viktória Tóth
1Department of Microbial Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary. emri.tamas@science.unideb.hu
Abstract:
The first echinocandin-type antimycotic (echinocandin B) was discovered in the 1970s. It was followed by the isolation of more than 20 natural echinocandins. These cyclic lipo-hexapeptides are biosynthesized on non-ribosomal peptide synthase complexes by different ascomycota fungi. They have a unique mechanism of action; as non-competitive inhibitors of β-1,3-glucan synthase complex they target the fungal cell wall. Results of the structure-activity relationship experiments let us develop semisynthetic derivatives with improved properties. Three cyclic lipohiexapeptides (caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin) are currently approved for use in clinics. As they show good fungicidal (Candida spp.) or fungistatic (Aspergillus spp.) activity against the most important human pathogenic fungi including azole-resistant strains, they are an important addition to the antifungal armamentarium. Some evidence of acquired resistance against echinocandins has been detected among Candida glabrata strains in recent years, which enhanced the importance of data collected on the mechanism of acquired resistance developing against the echinocandins. In this review, we show the structural diversity of natural echinocandins, and we summarize the emerging data on their mode of action, biosynthesis and industrial production. Their clinical significance as well as the mechanism of natural and acquired resistance is also discussed.
More Related Videos
10:10Mass Production of Entomopathogenic Fungi, Metarhizium robertsii and Metarhizium pinghaense, for Commercial Application Against Insect Pests
Published on: March 31, 2022
10:41The Logic, Experimental Steps, and Potential of Heterologous Natural Product Biosynthesis Featuring the Complex Antibiotic Erythromycin A Produced Through E. coli
Published on: January 13, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Production of Pharmaceuticals
Production of Antibiotics
Antifungal Agents
Production of Biopesticides
Overview of Fungi
Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis