Why in news
Researchers from the University of Georgia discovered a new connection between nickel exposure and sterol biosynthesis in both fungi and mammalian cells.
This finding challenges previous beliefs that nickel toxicity and sterol production were unrelated.
New discovery
Exposure to nickel in fungi and mammalian cells caused sterol deficiencies, which are important for cell membrane integrity.
Nickel tolerance in fungi was linked to a gene (ERG25), which helps cells tolerate nickel by increasing sterol biosynthesis.
The study uncovered that the absence of the SRE1 protein (in humans called, sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)) which regulates sterol production, made fungal cells highly sensitive to nickel.
Nickel exposure also reduces cholesterol in human cells, similar to its effect on fungi.
This connection could help develop new antifungal treatments.
Targeting the ERG25 gene might lead to new drugs that both reduce nickel toxicity and fight fungal infections.
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