title: Characterization of the Penicillium chrysogenum antifungal protein PAF.
abstract: The filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum abundantly secretes the small, highly basic and cysteine-rich protein PAF ( Penicillium antifungal protein). In this study, the antifungal activity of PAF is described. PAF inhibited the growth of a variety of filamentous fungi, including opportunistic human pathogenic and phytopathogenic fungi, whereas bacterial and yeast cells were unaffected. PAF reduced the conidial germination and hyphal extension rates in a dose-dependent manner and induced severe changes in cell morphology that resulted in crippled and distorted hyphae and atypical branching. Growth-affected hyphae suffered from oxidative stress, plasma membrane leakage, and metabolic inactivity, which points to an induction of multifactorial effects in sensitive fungi. In contrast to other known antifungal proteins, the effects of PAF were only partially antagonized by cations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Innsbruck, Fritz-Pregl Strasse 3, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaiserer
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberparleiter
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiler-Görz
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Burgstaller
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leiter
authors.forename: Florentine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marx
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010407:Penicillium; D010408:Penicillium chrysogenum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C097832:PAF protein, Penicillium chrysogenum