Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P42345 (mTOR)
 26,049 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans cause both superficial and disseminated infections in humans. Current antifungal therapies for deep-seated infections are limited to amphotericin B, flucytosine, and azoles. A limitation is that commonly used azoles are fungistatic in vitro and in vivo. Our studies address the mechanisms of antifungal activity of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin (sirolimus) and its analogs with decreased immunosuppressive activity. C. albicans rbp1/rbp1 mutant strains lacking a homolog of the FK506-rapamycin target protein FKBP12 were found to be viable and resistant to rapamycin and its analogs. Rapamycin and analogs promoted FKBP12 binding to the wild-type Tor1 kinase but not to a rapamycin-resistant Tor1 mutant kinase (S1972R). FKBP12 and TOR mutations conferred resistance to rapamycin and its analogs in C. albicans, C. neoformans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our findings demonstrate the antifungal activity of rapamycin and rapamycin analogs is mediated via conserved complexes with FKBP12 and Tor kinase homologs in divergent yeasts. Taken together with our observations that rapamycin and its analogs are fungicidal and that spontaneous drug resistance occurs at a low rate, these mechanistic findings support continued investigation of rapamycin analogs as novel antifungal agents.
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PMID:Rapamycin and less immunosuppressive analogs are toxic to Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans via FKBP12-dependent inhibition of TOR. 1160 Mar 72

Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection that mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients. We present the first case of cryptococcal meningitis in a patient who was being administered everolimus for breast cancer. Everolimus, a selective inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin, is a molecular targeting agent that is administered not only as an immunosuppressive agent, but also as an anticancer therapeutic. A 72-year-old woman with recurrent breast cancer had been receiving everolimus. She was admitted to our hospital with headache and vomiting. Lumbar puncture revealed high opening pressure, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) evaluation diagnosed cryptococcal meningitis. She was administered liposomal amphotericin-B, followed by fosfluconazole. Daily lumbar puncture was insufficient to reduce the high intracranial pressure; thus, continuous lumbar drainage was needed to improve her symptoms. The indwelling catheter was replaced regularly to prevent bacterial infection. She was treated successfully with extracorporeal CSF drainage for 86 days and fosfluconazole administration over 17 weeks. The patient recovered fully and was discharged on day 153 of hospitalization. As patients who receive everolimus are potentially immunocompromised hosts, we recommend that the medicine be administered with caution considering opportunistic infections when used in patients with cancer. (Received April 19, 2018; Accepted August 9, 2018; Published November 1, 2018).
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PMID:[Cryptococcal Meningitis in a Patient with Breast Cancer Receiving Everolimus: A Case of Successful Treatment with Continuous Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage]. 3041 24