Title
Identification of new sphingomyelinases D in pathogenic fungi and other pathogenic organisms
Date Issued
01 November 2013
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Dias-Lopes C.
Neshich I.A.P.
Neshich G.
Ortega J.M.
Granier C.
Molina F.
Felicori L.
Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais
Abstract
Sphingomyelinases D (SMases D) or dermonecrotic toxins are well characterized in Loxosceles spider venoms and have been described in some strains of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Corynebacterium sp. After spider bites, the SMase D molecules cause skin necrosis and occasional severe systemic manifestations, such as acute renal failure. In this paper, we identified new SMase D amino acid sequences from various organisms belonging to 24 distinct genera, of which, 19 are new. These SMases D share a conserved active site and a C-terminal motif. We suggest that the C-terminal tail is responsible for stabilizing the entire internal structure of the SMase D Tim barrel and that it can be considered an SMase D hallmark in combination with the amino acid residues from the active site. Most of these enzyme sequences were discovered from fungi and the SMase D activity was experimentally confirmed in the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Because most of these novel SMases D are from organisms that are endowed with pathogenic properties similar to those evoked by these enzymes alone, they might be associated with their pathogenic mechanisms. © 2013 Dias-Lopes et al.
Volume
8
Issue
11
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Patología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84891380008
PubMed ID
Source
PLoS ONE
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus