The Novel Arylamidine T-2307 Selectively Disrupts Yeast Mitochondrial Function by Inhibiting Respiratory Chain Complexes

The novel arylamidine T-2307 exhibits broad-spectrum in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities against clinically significant pathogens. Previous studies have shown that T-2307 accumulates in yeast cells via a specific polyamine transporter and disrupts yeast mitochondrial membrane potential. Further, it has little effect on rat liver mitochondrial function. The mechanism by which T-2307 disrupts yeast mitochondrial function is poorly understood, and its elucidation may provide important information for developing novel antifungal agents. This study aimed to determine how T-2307 promotes yeast mitochondrial dysfunction and to investigate the selectivity of this mechanism between fungi and mammals. T-2307 inhibited the respiration of yeast whole cells and isolated yeast mitochondria in a dose-dependent manner. The similarity of the effects of T-2307 and respiratory chain inhibitors on mitochondrial respiration prompted us to investigate the effect of T-2307 on mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes. T-2307 particularly inhibited respiratory chain complexes III and IV not only in Saccharomyces cerevisiae but also in Candida albicans, indicating that T-2307 acts against pathogenic fungi in a manner similar to that of yeast. Conversely, T-2307 showed little effect on bovine respiratory chain complexes. Additionally, we demonstrated that the inhibition of respiratory chain complexes by T-2307 resulted in a decrease in the intracellular ATP levels in yeast cells. These results indicate that inhibition of respiratory chain complexes III and IV is a key factor for selective disruption of yeast mitochondrial function and antifungal activity.