Interrogation of Related Clinical Pan-Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus Strains: G138C, Y431C, and G434C Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms incyp51A, Upregulation ofcyp51A, and Integration and Activation of TransposonAtf1in thecyp51APromoter
ABSTRACTMultipleAspergillus fumigatusisolates from a patient with two aspergillomas complicating chronic pulmonary aspergillosis were pan-azole resistant. Microsatellite typing was identical for all isolates despite major phenotypic and some growth rate differences. Three differentcyp51Amutations were found (G138C, Y431C, and G434C), of which the first two were demonstrated by heterologous expression in a hypersusceptibleSaccharomyces cerevisiaestrain to be at least partly responsible for elevated MICs.cyp51Aandcyp51Bgene duplication was excluded, but increased expression ofcyp51Awas demonstrated in three isolates selected for additional study (7-to 13-fold increases). In the isolate with the greatestcyp51Aexpression, anAft1transposon was found inserted 370 bp upstream of the start codon of thecyp51Agene, an integration location never previously demonstrated inAspergillus. Two transcription start sites were identified at 49 and 136 bp upstream of the start codon. The role of theAft1transposon, if any, in modulatingcyp51Aexpression remains to be established. Increased mRNA expression of the transportersAfuMDR1andAfuMDR4also was demonstrated in some isolates, which could contribute to azole resistance or simply represent a stress response. The diversity of confirmed and possible azole resistance mechanisms demonstrated in a single series of isogenic isolates is remarkable, indicating the ability ofA. fumigatusto adapt in the clinical setting.