Teikyo University Researchers Uncover Breakthrough in Combating Fungal Resistance to Mycosis Treatment

In a groundbreaking revelation on October 12, 2023, a Japan-Switzerland international joint research group, led by Teikyo University's Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Yamada from the Institute of Medical Mycology, unveiled a pivotal discovery related to azole antifungal drugs, a key component of mycosis treatment. This revelation pertains to a novel drug resistance mechanism found in a newly identified species of Trichophyton, commonly associated with athlete's foot. The key to this discovery lies in the intricate tandem repeat structures within the CYP51B gene, which have been identified as the primary drivers of drug resistance.??

Last year, this collaborative research team, featuring experts like Associate Professor Michel Monod, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Dr. Marc Feuermann, made an initial breakthrough by highlighting the overproduction of lanosterol 14α-demethylases (CYP51) in Trichophyton indotineae, the fungus responsible for the disease. This overproduction was linked to the presence of repeated copies of the CYP51B gene, forming a tandem repeat structure, and consequently, leading to azole resistance.Trichophyton indotineae???
???
The research team delved even deeper into this new drug resistance mechanism, revealing the existence of two distinct tandem repeat structures within the CYP51B gene in azole-resistant Trichophyton. Through the application of cutting-edge genome editing technology, they successfully removed these repeat structures, thereby restoring sensitivity to azoles in Trichophyton. This significant breakthrough paves the way for a more efficient selection of appropriate therapeutic agents. By conducting ongoing, detailed research, it is anticipated that distinguishing between azole-resistant and non-resistant Trichophyton will become increasingly feasible, promising enhanced efficacy in the selection of treatment methods.

Furthermore, the findings from this research were consolidated into a paper authored by Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Yamada and subsequently published in "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy," a prominent publication by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), which stands as one of the world's largest life science societies.

Click here for details on this research
Click here for the previous press release
Click here for more information about Associate Professor Yamada
Click here for information about Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology

To the topic List