Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 7, 2025

Quantifying the Antifungal Activity of Peptides Against Candida albicans
06:45

Quantifying the Antifungal Activity of Peptides Against Candida albicans

Published on: January 13, 2023

2.6K

Membrane-Interacting Antifungal Peptides

Caroline Struyfs1, Bruno P A Cammue1, Karin Thevissen1

  • 1Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
|April 29, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a promising new strategy against invasive fungal infections, which are increasing globally. This review explores how antifungal AMPs interact with fungal membranes to combat drug-resistant fungi.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Invasive fungal infections are a growing global health concern, causing over 1.6 million deaths annually.
  • Increasing antifungal drug resistance and a limited arsenal of antimycotics necessitate novel therapeutic strategies.
  • Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), integral to innate immunity, show potential as broad-spectrum agents against fungi, bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the structure and mechanisms of action of antifungal antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
  • To highlight the interaction of antifungal AMPs with fungal membranes as a key therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific articles and research papers on antifungal AMPs.
  • Analysis of the structure-activity relationships of various antifungal AMPs.
  • Examination of the diverse mechanisms by which AMPs exert their antifungal effects, focusing on membrane interactions.

Main Results:

  • Antifungal AMPs exhibit diverse structures and modes of action.
  • AMPs can disrupt fungal cell membranes physically at high concentrations, leading to cell death.
  • More complex mechanisms include specific lipid interactions, reactive oxygen species production, and induction of programmed cell death or autophagy.

Conclusions:

  • Antimicrobial peptides represent a vital area for developing new antifungal therapies.
  • Understanding the interaction of AMPs with fungal membranes is crucial for designing effective treatments against invasive fungal infections.
  • AMPs offer a potential solution to overcome current antifungal drug resistance challenges.
Keywords:
antifungal activityantimicrobial peptidesmembrane-interactionmode of actionreview

More Related Videos

Live-cell Imaging of Fungal Cells to Investigate Modes of Entry and Subcellular Localization of Antifungal Plant Defensins08:39

Live-cell Imaging of Fungal Cells to Investigate Modes of Entry and Subcellular Localization of Antifungal Plant Defensins

Published on: December 24, 2017

7.3K
Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners14:28

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners

Published on: June 30, 2013

12.7K

Related Concept Videos

Antimicrobial Proteins01:23

Antimicrobial Proteins

Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
12.0K
Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria01:19

Translocation of Proteins into the Mitochondria

Mitochondrial precursors are translocated to the internal subcompartments via independent mechanisms involving distinct protein machineries called translocases.
Sorting of outer membrane proteins:
Mitochondrial outer membrane proteins are of two types: the transmembrane, beta-barrel porins, and the membrane-anchored, alpha-helical proteins. Beta-barrel porin precursors are translocated by the TOM complex and inserted into the outer mitochondrial membrane by the SAM complex. In contrast,...
9.7K
Mitochondrial Precursor Proteins01:39

Mitochondrial Precursor Proteins

Mitochondrial precursors are partially unfolded or loosely folded polypeptide chains. Newly synthesized precursors are inhibited from spontaneously folding into their native conformation by the cytosolic chaperones, heat shock proteins 70 (Hsp70), and mitochondrial import stimulation factors (MSFs). Precursors bound to MSFs are guided to the TOM70-TOM37 receptors, while precursors bound to Hsp70  chaperones are targetted to TOM20-TOM22 receptor complexes.
Most of the mitochondrial...
3.1K
Phosphoinositides and PIPs01:42

Phosphoinositides and PIPs

Phosphoinositides are a group of phospholipids containing a glycerol backbone with two fatty acid chains and a phosphate attached to a myoinositol sugar ring. The inositol head group extends into the cytoplasm, where it is modified by adding phosphate groups to form phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs.
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
9.4K
Surface Membrane Barriers01:18

Surface Membrane Barriers

The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
1.9K
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation00:59

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with...
3.5K