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An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis
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Computational analysis of conserved coil functional residues in the mitochondrial genomic sequences of dermatophytes

Bulbul Gupta1, Jaspreet Kaur1

  • 1Biotechnology Branch, University Institute of Engineering and Technology (U.I.E.T), Punjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India.

Bioinformation
|February 3, 2017
PubMed

Insights

This study identifies conserved functional residues in dermatophyte fungi, crucial for understanding infections like athlete's foot. These findings offer potential drug targets for treating dermatophytosis.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Dermatophytes cause common human and animal infections (dermatophytosis).
  • Understanding evolutionary relationships among dermatophyte genera (Microsporum, Trichophyton, Epidermophyton) is key to their pathogenicity.
  • Mitochondrial DNA is valuable for phylogenetic analysis due to its rapid evolution and reduced recombination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel method for identifying conserved coil functional residues in key dermatophyte species.
  • To analyze the evolutionary relationships and pathogenicity factors of Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Microsporum canis.
  • To identify potential drug targets for dermatophytosis treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genome protein-coding sequences.
  • Sequence alignment and homology modeling for structure and pocket identification.
  • Identification of conserved coil functional residues across selected dermatophyte species.

Main Results:

  • Functionally active sites were identified in Trichophyton and Microsporum species.
  • Conserved functional residues were found in three out of five studied protein sequences in Epidermophyton floccosum.
  • Absence or reduced presence of these residues in E. floccosum may correlate with lower infectivity.

Conclusions:

  • The identified conserved functional residues are potential determinants of dermatophyte pathogenicity.
  • These residues represent putative targets for novel antifungal drug design.
  • This research provides insights into the molecular basis of dermatophytosis and aids in developing targeted therapies.
Keywords:
DermatophyteGenomeHomologyProtein sequencesProtein structure

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