Paulo Cesar Cotrim, M.D., Ph.D.
- Title
- Professor
- Department
- Department of Infectious Disease and Parasites
- Institution
- University of Sao Paulo
- Address
-
Av. Eneas Carvalho de Aguiar, 470
Cerqueira Cesar - City, ZIP
- Sao Paulo, 05403-000
- Country
- Brazil
- [email protected]
- Website
- http://www.imtsp.fm.usp.br
- Research field
- Microbiology; Parasitology
- Award year
- 1993
- Country of origin
- Brazil
- Mentor name
- Stephen M. Beverley, Ph.D.
Research
My laboratory is focused on indentifying compounds related to drug resistance in Leishmania. Ergosterol is an important compound responsible to maintain integrity and fluidity of Leishmania spp. Membranes. Starting from an overexpression/selection method, our group has isolated and mapped loci of Leishmania (L.) major related to resistance against two inhibitors of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, terbinafine (TBF) and itraconazole (ITZ). Functional analysis experiments associated with chromosomal localization by comparison at genomic database allowed us to identify two prospective gene-protein systems not related to the ergosterol biosynthesis and capable to confer wild-type cells resistance to ITZ-CTZ after transfection. We expected that this approach can open new insights for a better understanding of mechanisms of ITZ-CTZ action and resistance in Leishmania resulting in new strategies for the leishmaniasis treatment. (Parasitol Res. 2009 Aug;105(2):471-8.)