Vinoba Bhave

Highlights Fks1 is a unique enzyme that makes β-1,3-glucan, a key cell wall component. Blocking Fks1 kills fungi by damaging their cell wall. Fks1 enhances fungal virulence and host infection by contributing to pathogenesis and immune response, while β-1,3-glucan is a biomarker for fungal infections. Fks1 is a promising target for new antifungal drugs. Studies on echinocandins and ibrexafungerp have identified their binding sites and action mechanisms on Fks1.

Introduction In November 2021, an omicron variant, BA.1, emerged in South Africa and rapidly spread across the globe, becoming predominant worldwide, including India. Omicron spike protein binds to ACE2 with an affinity similar to the Delta variant despite having many mutations in it (1). However, it shows remarkable antibody evasion as compared to Delta (2).

* Corresponding authors a Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, Uppsala, SE-751 20, Sweden E-mail: sureshverma22@gmail.com, rajeev.ahuja@physics.uu.se b RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno 61137, Czech Republic c Advance Science and Technology Research Centre, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh 825001, India d School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India...