AUTHOR=Zhang Jingxiang , Li Liping , Lv Quanzhen , Yan Lan , Wang Yan , Jiang Yuanying 

TITLE=The Fungal CYP51s: Their Functions, Structures, Related Drug Resistance, and Inhibitors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00691

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00691

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>CYP51 (Erg11) belongs to the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) superfamily and mediates a crucial step of the synthesis of ergosterol, which is a fungal-specific sterol. It is also the target of azole drugs in clinical practice. In recent years, researches on fungal CYP51 have stepped into a new stage attributing to the discovery of crystal structures of the homologs in <italic>Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans</italic> and <italic>Aspergillus fumigatus</italic>. This review summarizes the functions, structures of fungal CYP51 proteins, and the inhibitors targeting these homologs. In particular, several drug-resistant mechanisms associated with the fungal CYP51s are introduced. The sequences and crystal structures of CYP51 proteins in different fungal species are also compared. These will provide new insights for the advancement of research on antifungal agents.</p>