| abstract |
The present inventors have discovered that porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG), bifunctional purine biosynthetic protein (ADES), and probable transcription factor (PTF1) are essential for normal fungal pathogenicity. Specifically, the inhibition of porphobilinogen deaminase gene expression in fungi abolishes pathogenicity. Inhibition of bifunctional purine biosynthetic protein gene expression in fungi results in drastically reduced pathogenicity. Inhibition of probable transcription factor gene expression in fungi results in drastically reduced pathogenicity. Thus, porphobilinogen deaminase, bifunctional purine biosynthetic protein, and probable transcription factor are useful as targets for the identification of antibiotics, preferably antifungals. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for the identification of compounds that inhibit the expression or activity of porphobilinogen deaminase, bifunctional purine biosynthetic protein, and/or probable transcription factor. The methods of the invention are useful for the identification of antibiotics, preferably antifungal |