Mucor Circinelloides

Mucor circinelloides (M. circinelloides) is a basal fungus that is a causal agent for the rare but lethal fungal infection mucormycosis, an emerging infectious disease recognized as a prevalent fungal infection in patients with impaired immunity. To facilitate the development of antifungal therapy and to support the rapidly growing interests in this field, Creative Biolabs offers a full range of preclinical contract research services for antifungal drug development against M. circinelloides to prevent or treat mucormycosis.

Introduction to M. circinelloides

M. circinelloides, the type genus of the order Mucorales, belongs to the family Mucoraceae Dumort. It develops as any other species within the genus Mucor with aerial hyphae, which sense and grow toward the light. M. circinelloides is ubiquitously distributed and saprobic in the soil. Its dispersal occurs through the air, soil, and food. Similar to other human-pathogenic Mucorales, M. circinelloides is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that causes deep and systemic mucormycosis in immunocompromised humans. It is reported to be the second most common causative agent of emerging mucormycosis.

Fig.1 Morphology of M. circinelloides. (Mendoza, 2015)

Pathogenesis of M. circinelloides

It has been discovered that the size dimorphism of M. circinelloides is linked to virulence (Li et al. 2011). Studies have reported that the calcineurin pathway orchestrates the yeast-hyphal and spore size dimorphic transitions that contribute to the virulence of this common zygomycete fungal pathogen (Lee et al. 2013). Moreover, studies have found that genetic differences may contribute to the different pathogenic potential of M. circinelloides and that the virulence may be related to cell wall surface and secreted proteins (López-Fernández et al. 2018).

Antifungal Agents against M. circinelloides

Amphotericin B is the first choice in the treatment of mucormycosis caused by species of Mucorales. Bastidas et al. reported that rapamycin exerted antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo against M. circinelloides via fkbp12-dependent inhibition of Tor.

Features of our Services

Creative Biolabs offers full antifungal drug discovery capabilities by leveraging our rich experience and expertise. We offer contract research services focusing on a wide range of potential drug targets including cell wall targets, cell membrane targets, biosynthetic pathway, virulence factors, etc. Besides, our service packages cover every stage of drug development, including target identification and validation, Hit identification, Hit to lead, Lead optimization, and IND enabling. Moreover, our services are characterized by:

• Expert scientists and staff with keen project and program management skills
• Free consulting, customized study design, high-quality data reporting, and report generation
• Superior customer service, cutting-edge science, and top scientific talent

Other fungi that are implicated in mucormycosis include:

• Rhizopus Oryzae
• Rhizopus Microsporus
• Lichtheimia Corymbifera
• Lichtheimia Ramosa
• Rhizomucor Pusillus
• Apophysomyces Elegans
• Saksenaea Vasiformis
• Cunninghamella Bertholletiae

Creative Biolabs continues to expand our capabilities to meet the ongoing changing demands of our clients and to expand the value of your projects. Please contact us for more information or a detailed quote.

References

1. Mendoza, L.; et al. Human Fungal Pathogens of Mucorales and Entomophthorales. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine. 2015, 5(4):1-33.
2. Li, C. H.; et al. Sporangiospore size dimorphism is linked to virulence of Mucor circinelloides. PLoS Pathogens. 2011, 7(6): e1002086.
3. Lee, S. C.; et al. Calcineurin plays key roles in the dimorphic transition and virulence of the human pathogenic zygomycete Mucor circinelloides. PLoS Pathogens. 2013, 9(9): e1003625.
4. López-Fernández, L.; et al. Understanding Mucor circinelloides pathogenesis by comparative genomics and phenotypical studies. Virulence. 2018, 9(1): 707-720.
5. Bastidas, R. J.; et al. Rapamycin exerts antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo against Mucor circinelloides via FKBP12-dependent inhibition of Tor. Eukaryotic cell. 2012, 11(3): 270-281.

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