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Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy to Elucidate Cell Wall Structural Dynamics Involved in Virulence and Drug Response of Aspergillus fumigatus

Award Number: R21AI149289
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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Project Summary The goal of the proposed research is to identify the structural characteristics of fungal cell walls involved in virulence and drug response. Invasive fungal infection results in fatal diseases in individuals with immunodeficiency. Existing antifungal drugs have been mainly designed to target fungal cell membranes, but they also bind to human cell membranes, thus causing severe side effects. Recent efforts have been devoted to developing agents that bind fungal cell walls because they contain carbohydrates, for example, chitins and ß- glucans, that are absent in human. Such biomolecules, however, evade high-resolution structural characterization as they are typically insoluble and polymorphic in structure. Recently, we initiated a project to investigate the native cell wall structure of Aspergillus fumigatus, a major pathogenic fungus causing invasive aspergillosis, using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. This method provides atomic-level insight into the supramolecular assembly of carbohydrates and proteins in native fungal cell walls with minimal perturbation. The central hypothesis is that the large-scale spatial rearrangement of biomolecules directly regulates fungal virulence and drug resistance. This hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: 1) identify the structural variation of cell walls from pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi, and between the young and aged fungi; 2) elucidate the molecular effects of antifungal drugs on the cell wall structure of wildtype and drug-resistant strains. The expected outcomes include the first set of comparative models of Aspergillus cell wall structure with dependence on four variables: fungal type and pathogenicity, age, drug concentration, and genetic mutants. The approaches established in this project will be widely applicable to investigations of many other fungal pathogens. This combined effort of biophysical methods, carbohydrate chemistry, and medical mycology presents a unique and novel contribution as it bridges the gap between molecular structures with phenotype and drug effects. The dynamic and comprehensive view of the functional structure of fungal cell wall obtained here, in the long term, will facilitate the discovery and evaluation of novel therapies that can effectively inhibit a broad spectrum of pathogenic fungi by targeting their cell wall structure or biosynthesis.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$7,676 )
2024	2021	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	1/5/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$7,676
														Subtotal = -$7,676

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2021	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	3/31/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $196,450 )
2021	2021	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	2	1/15/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$196,450
2021	2020	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	10/19/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $196,450

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $217,464 )
2020	2020	LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY	202 HIMES HALL	BATON ROUGE	LA	70803	EAST BATON ROUGE	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	2/5/2020	NEW	$217,464
														Subtotal = $217,464

Grand Total All Awards = $406,238

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Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy to Elucidate Cell Wall Structural Dynamics Involved in Virulence and Drug Response of Aspergillus fumigatus

Award Number: R21AI149289

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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