Abstract: Provided are: a polypeptide having activity of 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate hydroxymethyltransferase; a microorganism having increased activity of 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate hydroxymethyltransferase; a composition for producing pantothenic acid and/or pantoic acid, comprising the polypeptide and/or the microorganism, and a pantothenic acid and/or pantoic acid production method comprising a step for culturing the microorganism.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a use of kinases for treating and preventing fungal meningoencephalitis by pathogenic fungi of the genus Cryptococcus. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method for screening an antifungal agent characterized by measuring the amount or activity of a pathogenic-regulatory kinase protein of Cryptococcus neoformans, or the expression level of a gene encoding the protein; and an antifungal pharmaceutical composition comprising an inhibitor against a pathogenic-regulatory kinase protein of Cryptococcus neoformans or a gene encoding the same. An antifungal agent for treating meningoencephalitis, etc. can be effectively screened by using the method for screening an antifungal agent according to the present invention, and meningoencephalitis, etc. can be effectively treated by using the antifungal pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention.