致病真菌几丁质合成调控的研究进展

Regulation of chitin synthesis in pathogenic fungi: an update

几丁质广泛存在于致病真菌的细胞壁,是真菌细胞壁的必需成分。几丁质合成酶是几丁质生物合成中的关键酶,其活性被严格地调控。几丁质合成酶及其调控分子有望成为抗真菌药物作用的靶点。本文综述了几丁质合成酶的分类、功能及其调控的最新进展,展望了将几丁质合成酶及其调控分子作为抗真菌药物作用靶点的潜在应用前景。

Chitin, an essential component of the cell wall, exists widely in pathogenic fungi. Chitin synthase （CHS） is a key enzyme for biosynthesis of chitin, and its activity is strictly regulated; therefore it can be inferred that CHS and its regulation factors are potential targets of anti-fungal therapy. This article reviews the recent research progress on classification, function, and regulation of CHS, and discusses the possibilities of using CHS and its regulation factors as anti-fungal targets.