Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that can be found on skin and in the gut microbiota. Though the fungus is ubiquitous, C. albicans infection of the bloodstream can lead to serious illness and death. The rise in drug-resistant Candida infections has led to an urgent need for the development of improved antifungals. We are interested in the use of antimicrobial peptide natural products as fungicidal inhibitors of C. albicans. We have recently found that extracellular concentrations of metal ions can regulate the uptake and potency of some types of antimicrobial peptides. In this work, we have designed a fluorescent antimicrobial peptide probe with photo crosslinking capabilities to investigate the intracellular and extracellular targets of metal-sensitive antimicrobial peptide activity. Through chemical biology and proteomic methods, we aim to identify key proteins involved in metal-dependent peptide trafficking within C. albicans.

Investigation of metal-dependent antimicrobial peptides against C. albicans

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.