The Role of Yeast Urea Amidolyase in Patients with Suppressed Immune Systems (LB105)

According to Rice University, 70% of people are affected by the infectious fungus Candida albicans. The immune system uses T and B cells to stop pathogens. People with suppressed immune systems, such as children with transplants, AIDs or cancer patients, lack functional T and B cells, so they rely on macrophages to destroy Candida. Candida can kill and exit macrophages due to an enzyme: urea amidolyase (UAL). While in the macrophage, Candida goes through a morphological switch from a sphere to a structure with hyphae due to an environment change. UAL converts urea to ammonia and CO2, creating an environment for hyphae to form, bursting the macrophage. The Greenfield SMART (Students Modeling A Research Topic) Team used 3D printing technology to model the four domains of UAL. The biotin carboxylase (BC) domain uses energy from ATP cleavage to attach CO2 to the swinging arm portion, or biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) domain. The BCCP domain swings across UAL, attaching CO2 to urea forming allophanate ...