MRC-FAPESP: New approaches to the treatment of Paracoccidioidomycosis

人类已经进化出复杂而有效的方法来对抗由细菌，寄生虫，真菌和病毒等微生物引起的感染，免疫系统。有时免疫系统会出错，这可能会导致严重的疾病，如类风湿性关节炎和糖尿病。我们的研究旨在从分子水平上了解免疫系统的细胞如何识别不同的微生物，以及这些细胞对引起发烧和疲劳等感染的常见症状作出反应的方式，并产生对抗入侵微生物的特异性抗体。在这个项目中，我们将研究免疫系统细胞被糖结合蛋白激活的方式，特别是它们结合和激活先天免疫系统的Toll样受体的方式。了解这些病原体和免疫细胞之间相互作用的分子基础将使我们能够进行筛选，以确定可能有效治疗这些重要疾病的新候选药物。

Humans have evolved complex and effective ways of fighting infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses, the immune system. Sometimes the immune system goes wrong and this can cause serious diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Our research aims to understand at a molecular level how the cells of the immune system are able to recognise different microbes and the ways in which these cells respond to cause the familiar symptoms of an infection such as fever and tiredness, and to generate specific antibodies that fight the invading microbes. In this project we will study the way in which immune system cells are activated by sugar-binding proteins associated pathogenic yeasts and plants, in particular the way they bind and activate the Toll-like receptors of the innate immune system. Understanding the molecular basis for interactions between these pathogens and immune cells will allow us to carry out a screen to identify new candidate drugs that might be effective therapies for these important diseases.