T-2307 Causes Collapse of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Yeast

Abstract

ABSTRACTT-2307, an arylamidine compound, has been previously reported to have broad-spectrumin vitroandin vivoantifungal activities against clinically significant pathogens, includingCandidaspecies,Cryptococcus neoformans, andAspergillusspecies, and is now undergoing clinical trials. Here we investigated the mechanism of action of T-2307 using yeast cells and mitochondria isolated from yeast and rat liver. Nonfermentative growth ofCandida albicansandSaccharomyces cerevisiaein glycerol medium, in which yeasts relied on mitochondrial respiratory function, was inhibited at 0.001 to 0.002 μg/ml (0.002 to 0.004 μM) of T-2307. However, fermentative growth in dextrose medium was not inhibited by T-2307. Microscopic examination using Mitotracker fluorescent dye, a cell-permeant mitochondrion-specific probe, demonstrated that T-2307 impaired the mitochondrial function ofC. albicansandS. cerevisiaeat concentrations near the MIC in glycerol medium. T-2307 collapsed the mitochondrial membrane potential in mitochondria isolated fromS. cerevisiaeat 20 μM. On the other hand, in isolated rat liver mitochondria, T-2307 did not have any effect on the mitochondrial membrane potential at 10 mM. Moreover, T-2307 had little inhibitory and stimulatory effect on mitochondrial respiration in rat liver mitochondria. In conclusion, T-2307 selectively disrupted yeast mitochondrial function, and it was also demonstrated that the fungal mitochondrion is an attractive antifungal target.