Table 3.
Cytokinesis phenotypes and elapsed times for septation and cell separation periods in S. pombe cells growing in culture chamber slides containing sublethal (2 µg/mL) or lethal (20 µg/mL) concentrations of the three echinocandins.
| Drug (Concentration) |
Cytokinesis Phenotype |
Septation 1 | Cell Separation 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WT | pbr1-8 | WT | pbr1-8 | ||
| Control (+DMSO) | Normal cytokinesis | 22.4 ± 2.4 n = 30 |
20.2 ± 1.6 n = 33 |
14.5 ± 2.4 n = 27 |
16.5 ± 3.4 n = 33 |
|
Anidulafungin
(2 µg/mL) |
Cell death 3 | 45.9 ± 10.5 n = 25 |
n = 0 | 36.3 ± 6.5 n = 25 |
n = 0 |
| Normal cytokinesis | n = 0 | 22.6 ± 2.3 n = 60 |
n = 0 | 21.4 ± 4.6 n = 55 |
|
| Slow septation Blocked separation 4 |
48.0 ± 0.0 n = 1 |
n = 0 | ≥84.0 ± 0.0 n = 1 |
n = 0 | |
|
Anidulafungin
(20 µg/mL) |
Blocked cytokinesis 5 | ≥155.1 ± 24.9 n = 23 |
≥160.8 ± 15.4 n = 31 |
≥145.9 ± 36.1 n = 7 |
≥172.0 ± 0.0 n = 1 |
|
Caspofungin
(2 µg/mL) |
Cell death 3 | 31.0 ± 4.3 n = 20 |
32.0 ± 9.0 n = 8 |
32.4 ± 6.2 n = 21 |
26.0 ± 9.2 n = 10 |
| Normal cytokinesis | n = 0 | 24.3 ± 5.2 n = 12 |
n = 0 | 22.8 ± 4.9 n = 17 |
|
| Blocked separation | 20.0 ± 2.9 n = 14 |
25.1 ± 4.3 n = 11 |
≥80.0 ± 26.2 n = 14 |
≥81.5 ± 36.5 n = 11 |
|
|
Caspofungin
(20 µg/mL) |
Extremely slow septation Blocked separation4 |
≥121.6 ± 26.5 n = 24 |
n = 0 | ≥ 75.3 ± 28.7 n = 7 |
≥105.1 ± 23.1 n = 29 |
| Slow septation | n = 0 | 51.4 ± 8.4 n = 25 |
n = 0 | n = 0 | |
|
Micafungin
(2 µg/mL) |
Cell death 3 | 22.8 ± 1.8 n = 23 |
n = 0 | 26.1 ± 6.8 n = 31 |
n = 0 |
| Normal cytokinesis | n = 0 | 20.1 ± 1.3 n = 36 |
n = 0 | 17.3 ± 2.7 n = 33 |
|
| Blocked separation | 20.7 ± 1.8 n = 6 |
n = 0 | ≥52.0 ± 21.3 n = 6 |
n = 0 | |
|
Micafungin
(20 µg/mL) |
Cell death3 | 27.6 ± 2.0 n = 11 |
n = 0 | 33.7 ± 4.3 n = 12 |
n = 0 |
| Normal cytokinesis | n = 0 | 19.8 ± 1.2 n = 46 |
n = 0 | 25.9 ± 5.0 n = 39 |
|
Values are minutes ± SD. 1 Elapsed time between septation onset and septation completion. 2 Elapsed time between septation completion and cell separation onset. 3 Cell death was at the onset of cell separation. 4 Separation onset is blocked or largely delayed. 5 Septation and cell separation are both blocked. n = number of cells that exhibit the corresponding phenotype within 3 h of imaging. Green boxes: normal cytokinesis; red boxes: cytokinesis with cell death at the onset of cell separation; and boxes in other colors: cytokinesis is either blocked or delayed.