CRITICAL STEPS IN FUNGAL CELL-WALL SYNTHESIS - STRATEGIES FOR THEIR INHIBITION

Development of new effective antifungal drugs is limited by the absenc e of specific target sites in the fungal cells. Knowledge of the funga l cell wall structure and biosynthesis is of interest in searching for a potential target site for new chemotherapeutic agents. Our group ha s demonstrated that the fungal cell wall is a metabolically active str ucture where interaction between distinct components occurs to give ri se to the mature cell wall structure. Mannoproteins play an essential role in the cell wall organization, and there is evidence for the form ation of covalent bonds between these molecules and the structural pol ymers (glucans and chitin) outside the plasma membrane. Such interacti ons, which specifically occur at the fungal cell wall, are of great in terest in defining target sites for potential new chemotherapeutic age nts, which may inhibit the interactions and, thus, lead to a defective cell wall formation and cell death.