PNAs: an effective method for African trypanosomiasis

April 7, 2019 / BIOON / -- natural antibiotics are an effective way to treat neglected tropical diseases -- African trypanosomiasis Now, researchers have turned fungi into a "disease treatment factory" through modern genetic engineering technology "Gene clusters in fungi are unique - through simple gene deletion mutations, we designed a fungal strain that produces only the high concentrations of antibiotics needed," the authors explained (image source: www Pixabay Com) the fungus Acremonium egyptiacum naturally produces two different types of antibiotics: one is toxic to humans, but the other is identified as a potential therapeutic drug for African trypanosomiasis in 1996 The authors found that both antibiotics of fungi are made of the same precursor molecule After the prodrug was produced, two groups of different enzymes produced two different antibiotics By simply removing the genes responsible for other toxic antibiotics, researchers can keep the precursor molecules and the genes responsible for the required antibiotics intact In each liter of fungus the researchers grew in the lab, the engineered strain of the fungus produced 500 milligrams of antibiotics In addition, the antibiotic ascofuranone is also a candidate drug for cancer treatment Sources of information: researchers engineer a cost effective treatment for angled characteristic disease original sources: Yasuko Araki, Takayoshi awakawa, motomichi Matsuzaki, rihe CHO, Yudai Matsuda, Shotaro Hoshino, yasutomo Shinohara, masaichi Yamamoto, Yasutoshi Kido, Daniel Ken inaoka, Kisaburo nagamune, Kotaro ITO, Ikuro Abe, and Kiyoshi Kita Complete biosynthetic pathways of ascofuranone and ascochlorin in Acremonium egyptiacum PNAS , 2019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819254116